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?