Thursday, July 25, 2013

THE SPEEDING OF UP TIME






                                                      Sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days
                                                      Seedlings turn over night to sunflowers
                                                      blossoming even as we gaze.

                                                      Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years
                                                      One season following another
                                                      laden with happiness and tears.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is one of my favorite musicals and the above song resonates with me even more than the others as it speaks of the passing so swiftly of the years. And the older we get, the faster time seems to go. As children it seemed Christmas or birthdays would never come nor would the end of the school year, although the truth is that teachers, no matter how young or old, felt the same way since students tuned out the closer the end came, and it became exceedingly difficult to hold their attention.

Now for some people my age, their days are filled with long hours with little to do. Or so I hear. Not so for me and most people I know. Today I’m just as busy as or even busier than I’ve ever been. True, I’m not standing in front of a class. I’m not making lesson plans or grading papers. I don’t have to be out the door by 7:30 every morning, and that’s a bonus. I like having time to read the newspaper or write with a morning cup of coffee after I put the dog out and feed her and the cats. Sometimes instead of reading I work on my blog or a poem or write in my journal. I like that quiet time without having to look at the clock to see if it’s time to leave. Still, that doesn’t mean I sleep in much later. I don’t. I still need to get outside by 8:00 or 8:30 to do morning barn chores; feed and water the ponies and put them out, feed the barn cats and the chickens with fresh water for them, too. And then it’s my exercise time – a morning walk in the woods and/or gardening in season.

And now comes my gripe; my biggest complaint, and that is the comments made by others still doing what they think of as a regular job. If I make the slightest comment about how busy I am, I hear “But you’re retired,” as if I’m sitting around eating chocolates and watching TV most of the day. Those of you who are writers, know how little others consider your hours writing as real work. Or maybe you’re a lucky one who everyone holds in awe for the time and work you put into your writing. Maybe if you answer the phone and someone asks what you’re doing, and you say, "Writing," they say, “Okay, get back to work and call me when you have time.” Or maybe you just let all calls go to the answering machine or voice mail. I can’t do that and I don’t have caller ID, either. I’d hate to have people think I was there screening their calls and not answering because I don’t consider them important enough to pick up the phone. So when I answer and they ask what I’m doing, and I say, “I’m writing,” they usually say “I’ll make this short then,” but they rarely do.

Of course, part of it is my fault as I hear all too often. Yes, I have too many critters, maybe. Yes, I have more gardens than one person should have. Yes, I mow my own lawn interspersed with those gardens and not with a riding mower. Yes, I belong to two book clubs, two writing groups and deliver Mobile Meals every other Thursday. Yes, I blog every Thursday for this blog and the Guppy anthology blog once a month. And no, I’m not going to give up on any of those things. Part of my lack of time comes from living alone. I’m the one who does almost everything. Also, I have a rather large family and families require time – the larger the family, the more birthdays, phone calls and other events. But I consider myself lucky to have so many family members even though families consume a large amount of time, they're worth it.

So I guess I’m destined to always be too busy since I’m not willing to eliminate what I enjoy or eliminate family members and friends. I’ll save that for the written page. Now if I could only get people to stop saying “But you’re retired so you have time now.”

So what is your biggest gripe about time?


What one thing do you hate to hear most of all?

14 comments:

  1. When you are one, getting to two increases your lifetime by 100%. When you are fifty,getting to fifty-one takes the same 365 (or 366) days, yet it has only increased your lifetime by 2%. To the young, everything seems to take forever because their comparison is to their short life. By middle age, that feeling has disappeared.

    One of my sayings has been that people who retire TO SOMETHING usually live long, enjoyable retirements. Those who retire FROM SOMETHING don’t usually fair as well.

    It’s clear which class you belong to, Gloria. To steal a phrase, “Live long and prosper.”

    ~ Jim

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Jim. It's obvious you are a statistician. :-) I like your way of looking at it. Actually, on the life index test I took, I'm going to live at least another ten years. In fact, that will be my blog for the 8th.

    Actually, I loved teaching until the last two years when we moved to a consolidated school. It wasn't the kids that bothered me, it was the administration who got in the way of letting me teach in the way I thought best for kids.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gloria, I love your version of retirement! I'm also very busy and I couldn't imagine life any other way, even if it does get in the way of my writing. Jim's choice of words are perfect, "Live long and prosper."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, Sarah. I loved his comment, too.When I was your age, I couldn't imagine a life of retirement, either. I was perfectly happy and content raising kids - well, most of the time. It was a lot more responsibility than what I have now, and that can be very draining.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Time does seem to be moving faster the older I get. I've become more aware these days that my time is finite on this earth, which, if I can keep from hyperventilating about that reality, helps me focus on how I want to spend my time.

    Your ponies are beautiful, Gloria. What breed are they?

    ReplyDelete
  6. People call and ask what I am doing, When I say writing, they say, "Good since you're not busy and you help me with...."

    ReplyDelete
  7. I only have one person call me and ask what I'm doing. And since she starts all her calls that way, I always answer "Nothing" because I know I'm in for a long conversation.
    OTOH, I only have a cell phone, so if I'm out and about I never answer it. The law is strict in OR.
    Patg

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gloria, it sounds like you are enjoying it all! Many of the "retired" people I know are busier and more productive than those who are not retired.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Marilyn, when I started facing the reality that my time is finite, is when I decided to self-publish and quit waiting for an agent or publisher to say yes. My ponies are no specific breed, but probably have Shetland in them. They're sisters born 11 months apart from the same mother, but I'm not sure about the father although I think he was probably the same.

    Okay, Warren, so you get that, too, although I rarely hear "since you're not busy." Instead, they just assume that, I guess.

    Pat, I carry a tracphone out and about with me - if I don't forget, but only my kids have that number and they're under strict orders not to call that unless it's an emergency.

    Shari, yes I am enjoying it even though much of the time I feel overwhelmed. I want to be Super Woman, who can do all things at the speed of light.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gloria, sounds to me like you have the superwoman thing perfected. As Jim and Sarah (and a character we all know) say, "Live long and prosper." Thanks for showing us the way.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks, Paula. I don't know about the prosper bit, though. It would be nice if somehow enough money would appear to hire a full time gardener. :-) There would still be enough to do to keep me quite busy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I seem to fulfill functions in others lives. I foster them. I do their work. At times, I'm thankful for my role in their lives, and yet no one defers to me or to my agenda. I have a limited time here, but I can see myself fulfilling more and more in their lives and less and less in mine. It's a privilege to serve others, but at the same time I feel as though if I don't fulfill my own dreams, I'll feel cheated and used. To serve others or yourself? I wish it were more of a win/win situation. I can't help but think that most people have the same problem.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm looking forward to retiring at the end of the year (I hope!) and somehow foster the illusion that then I will have enough time to handle most of the things that are important to me. At least I will be able to devote more time to my writing! I only hope I can balance my life as well as you seem to have done, Gloria.

    ReplyDelete
  14. You will, KM. And even though you are busy, you will have more freedom to do only what you want to do.

    ReplyDelete