deelstra

Spring Fever has seemingly hit. Cries of, “I’m so busy” or “I don’t have time” are the cries of spring. What those words hide is the fact that we humans are coming out of hibernation and embracing the long-awaited sunshine. At least that’s the way of the northern regions. Folks are taking walks and are digging in the dirt, mowing lawns, trimming away the dead. Neighborhood cleanups are followed by street sweepers, and the promise of rebirth that comes with spring is fulfilled. All is beginning to look fresh, new.

As for not having “enough time,” I doubt seriously that time is really the commodity that is lacking. I think it is discipline that is in short supply. After all, how can we possibly focus on finals week at the college or on that pile of bills that requires tending to, or how possibly can we write that all important article, letter, thesis, etc., when there is sun shining outside? And when the sun goes down, there is still not “enough time” because there are emails and My Face and Space Books to attend to. There are quizzes and food fights and friends that we don’t “have time” enough to call or see, but friends that we can throw any of a barrage of  foods, angels, tattoos, fairies, etc., at and we can write on “walls” and state our emotional well-being or unwell-being in a sentence. But generally speaking there is little time for substantial accomplishment and self-actualization. There is, on occasion, opportunity to shop for new clothing, to spend that coupon, to write that imaginary resume, to research on-line stuff. But profound thoughts of great importance, inventions of the mind, these are left to others with no apparent addiction to sunshine, no pull from the cosmic rays of spring.

Psychology calls it “creative avoidance.” There are all sorts of extremely creative ways to avoid responsibility, and it seems that weekly a new computer program or television show or technical gadget is invented, a new toy to rob us of even more of that precious time. But wait! If these programs are being created, someone is being creative! Someone is really clever and driven and is accomplishing something! If only someone would create a new program that excited us into self actualization, a program that cleverly got us to think more, to pack more into each minute, every hour, day, week….

Today I woke early, and I listened to the birds singing with glee over the warmth the day brings. As I enjoyed the song of nature, I contemplated what I would do with my time today. In my head I wrote two wonderful articles, words that disappeared as soon as my computer loaded. But it is okay. The words were really probably no more or less important than are these written finally, here. The idea is the same. I contemplate time and the preciousness. I note that my grandmother’s recent death stirred that sleeping giant of awareness, and I vow to pull out my old day planner and make better use of the most precious gift. I think of legacies, and of what I hope to leave behind. I would not want to have squandered time on reruns of  The Golden Girls, Nancy Grace, or Law and Order. My grandmother was not a television watcher, and I am perfectly happy to not have the time thief in my home either. My mind, as is true for others, “is a terrible thing to waste.”  

It’s finals week, at the area college and university, and reconciling mandated tasks of final papers, up-coming final exams, and final deadlines is daunting, yet students are flung colorfully across the manicured lawns, reading, writing, and yes, text messaging, as the deadlines loom. They are taking full advantage of the sun’s rays to lighten their pages and their loads. They are in finals mode, and yet they are not ripping out hair (at least not any that is apparent from this observer) and no one has gone ballistic over the perceived stress. These folks have figured out how to reconcile spring fever with finals week. I take a good long look at them, even as they study, oblivious to my observations. From this sea of dedicated students I gain a strength and a new dedication to my larger life goals. I unpack my lap top and join them. The creative invention that allows us to “pack more into every moment” is right here in my lap after all!