Saturday, November 29, 2014
The id Post: Take Your Time
The id Post: Take Your Time: by Irene Daniel Take your time. We've been hearing these words since we were children. Running on the sidewalk? Take your time. Figuri...
Take Your Time
by Irene Daniel
Take your time. We've been hearing these words since we were children. Running on the sidewalk? Take your time. Figuring out a math problem? Take your time. Slow down. Take your time.
These words of wisdom seem simple enough -- take your time. And yet, in this age of ATMs, instant oatmeal and a 24/7 media blitz urging us to act immediately in order to resolve some emptiness inside of us, how many of us actually know how to do this anymore?
Let's take these words one at a time. Take. Simple concept, right? We take things all the time. We take phone calls; we take freeways, subways, trains, buses and taxies every day. We take chances. We take our children's toys away in order to discourage certain behaviors. And we take a dozen doughnuts home on Sundays.
But how often do take our time? We may give our time away to worthy causes, or we may fritter our time away on mind-numbing entertainment. We sell our time; to our employers in exchange for paychecks, and to our customers in exhcange for cash. But how often do we take our time? How often do we even permit ourselves the healing power of taking a deep breathe, or the freedom to take a walk on a beautiful day? How often do we allow something to take our breath away, like a glorious sunset, the early morning coo of a dove, or holding a sleeping infant?
We take things all the time and mostly, we take a lot for granted. But take our time? Or do we allow our time to be stolen from us by worry, want and chasing our many addictions to substances and material identities? What are you chasing with your time? What do you take time for in your day?
And what of the word "your"? This pronoun trumpets possession: 2nd person, singular and plural. Take your time. Not somebody else's time, but your time. Every one of us has the exact same number of minutes and hours in each day. YOUR time.
This time that I am taking to draft this post belongs to me and no one else. It is I who gets to choose how to spend my time -- every blessed second. I do not have to steal this time or pay for this time because it already belongs to me. Mio, mio, mine!
And what is this thing we call time? Is it a mere linear measure we humans use to make sense of our world and bring order to our lives? One thing is for certain for each and every one of us -- time is a finite resource. I have it on good authority that none of us gets out of here alive! For most of us, time is a blissfully unknown sum certain; but make no mistake, that sum total is finite for every living thing on this planet.
So how are you using your time? What time are you taking just for you? To rest, to relax and enjoy life. To take a hot bath? Or to take a good book to bed, instead of falling asleep to the drama of the late news?
During the Holiday Season, it is very easy run out of time to do all the things we need to do to plan and enjoy festivities. But the fact remains that we can either choose how to spend our time, or we can choose to allow material priorities to take our time.
Somewhere between overindulgence and Ebenezer Scrooge, there is a balance in which we may find grace and serenity. This Christmas season, I hope you find that balance. It's always a challenge for me. Therefore, I humbly and lovingly remind all of us to TAKE YOUR TIME!!
Irene Daniel, Copyright 2014, All rights reserved.you
Take your time. We've been hearing these words since we were children. Running on the sidewalk? Take your time. Figuring out a math problem? Take your time. Slow down. Take your time.
These words of wisdom seem simple enough -- take your time. And yet, in this age of ATMs, instant oatmeal and a 24/7 media blitz urging us to act immediately in order to resolve some emptiness inside of us, how many of us actually know how to do this anymore?
Let's take these words one at a time. Take. Simple concept, right? We take things all the time. We take phone calls; we take freeways, subways, trains, buses and taxies every day. We take chances. We take our children's toys away in order to discourage certain behaviors. And we take a dozen doughnuts home on Sundays.
But how often do take our time? We may give our time away to worthy causes, or we may fritter our time away on mind-numbing entertainment. We sell our time; to our employers in exchange for paychecks, and to our customers in exhcange for cash. But how often do we take our time? How often do we even permit ourselves the healing power of taking a deep breathe, or the freedom to take a walk on a beautiful day? How often do we allow something to take our breath away, like a glorious sunset, the early morning coo of a dove, or holding a sleeping infant?
We take things all the time and mostly, we take a lot for granted. But take our time? Or do we allow our time to be stolen from us by worry, want and chasing our many addictions to substances and material identities? What are you chasing with your time? What do you take time for in your day?
And what of the word "your"? This pronoun trumpets possession: 2nd person, singular and plural. Take your time. Not somebody else's time, but your time. Every one of us has the exact same number of minutes and hours in each day. YOUR time.
This time that I am taking to draft this post belongs to me and no one else. It is I who gets to choose how to spend my time -- every blessed second. I do not have to steal this time or pay for this time because it already belongs to me. Mio, mio, mine!
And what is this thing we call time? Is it a mere linear measure we humans use to make sense of our world and bring order to our lives? One thing is for certain for each and every one of us -- time is a finite resource. I have it on good authority that none of us gets out of here alive! For most of us, time is a blissfully unknown sum certain; but make no mistake, that sum total is finite for every living thing on this planet.
So how are you using your time? What time are you taking just for you? To rest, to relax and enjoy life. To take a hot bath? Or to take a good book to bed, instead of falling asleep to the drama of the late news?
During the Holiday Season, it is very easy run out of time to do all the things we need to do to plan and enjoy festivities. But the fact remains that we can either choose how to spend our time, or we can choose to allow material priorities to take our time.
Somewhere between overindulgence and Ebenezer Scrooge, there is a balance in which we may find grace and serenity. This Christmas season, I hope you find that balance. It's always a challenge for me. Therefore, I humbly and lovingly remind all of us to TAKE YOUR TIME!!
Irene Daniel, Copyright 2014, All rights reserved.you
Thursday, November 20, 2014
The id Post: The id Post: This Is the Me I Used to Be
The id Post: The id Post: This Is the Me I Used to Be: The id Post: This Is the Me I Used to Be : by Irene Daniel Selling, moving, rearranging; yes indeed, my life is changing Cleaning, pa...
Thursday, November 13, 2014
The id Post: If Everything Had Gone the Way it Should . . .
The id Post: If Everything Had Gone the Way it Should . . .: by Irene Daniel If everything had gone the way it should, The sweet good-byes to my Fiona would have gone unsaid. The fruits and flower...
If Everything Had Gone the Way it Should . . .
by Irene Daniel
If everything had gone the way it should,
The sweet good-byes to my Fiona
would have gone unsaid.
The fruits and flowers of my garden
Would have gone unpicked
For I would have been gone instead.
If everything had gone the way it should,
How could Jerry have come to my rescue?
Joyous moments with this pal
Would have gone unlived.
How could I miss that,
I ask you?
If everything had gone the way it should,
My child would not have told me things
He never knew he could;
Words son to mother,
Now clearly spoken
And perfectly understood.
If everything had gone the way it should,
I would not have cried out in desperation
And been lifted from despair
From my people of the dog,
My congregation.
If everything had gone the way it should,
I could not have known how much I needed
All of you;
And unasked favors
Would have gone unheeded.
If everything had gone the way it should,
I never would have known how much I am loved.
If everything had gone the way it should . . .
Irene Daniel, All rights reserved, copyright 2014
If everything had gone the way it should,
The sweet good-byes to my Fiona
would have gone unsaid.
The fruits and flowers of my garden
Would have gone unpicked
For I would have been gone instead.
If everything had gone the way it should,
How could Jerry have come to my rescue?
Joyous moments with this pal
Would have gone unlived.
How could I miss that,
I ask you?
If everything had gone the way it should,
My child would not have told me things
He never knew he could;
Words son to mother,
Now clearly spoken
And perfectly understood.
If everything had gone the way it should,
I would not have cried out in desperation
And been lifted from despair
From my people of the dog,
My congregation.
If everything had gone the way it should,
I could not have known how much I needed
All of you;
And unasked favors
Would have gone unheeded.
If everything had gone the way it should,
I never would have known how much I am loved.
If everything had gone the way it should . . .
Irene Daniel, All rights reserved, copyright 2014
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