School bus pick-up, doctor’s appointments, our lives seem to rotate around the numbers on a clock face. We can’t seem to stop watching the clock, even when we have no place to go. Maybe it’s time to clear your calendar and challenge yourself.
A personal challenge doesn’t always have to be a monumental task, like reorganizing the entire basement or reading a new book everyday. Challenges are meant to push you a little, learn new things and perhaps discover a hidden talent. Some challenges can help you refocus.
Your challenge, should you accept it, is to forget the time and take a breath. That’s it.
Weekdays are busy for families and this buzz of activity seeps into the weekend too. We rush from one destination to the next, loosing focus on the moment. As the minutes tick away, stress levels increase. You worry you won’t have enough time, you’ll be late for the next thing, you’ve wasted your time or you’re not getting as much accomplished as you should.
We seem to impose on ourselves this need to stay ‘busy’ all the time. When we do nothing or spend more than twenty-minutes on one task there’s a concern we’re not using our time efficiently. We rely on the clock to remind us we have to move on, there’s only eight hours, forty minutes and nineteen, eighteen, seventeen….seconds left to fill our day.
Challenge yourself to forget the clock and go with the flow. Turn off the alarm and wake when your body wakes you (or the kids). Forget rushing to catch a movie or get to the grocery store before noon. Instead read a book or play a game. Have a snack when you are hungry not when the clock says 3:00 p.m. Get outside and enjoy the weather. I like to put out a snack bowl for the kids with some fruit and granola bars (like those from Nature’s Path Organic). Orville Redenbacher’s ready-to-eat seasoned popcorn is another easy snack my kids love.
Sure, clocks are important and for days when we have things to accomplish they keep us on track. So pick a day that is free of appointments and commitments (or make a free day) and forget the clock. Tomorrow will still appear even if you don’t countdown the minutes until its arrival. Enjoy the moment now based on what you and your family feel like doing and when you feel like doing it. Go with the flow and don’t worry about the amount of time you’ve spent reading, catching a nap, or just hanging out talking. Live the day by the sun and what tickles your fancy. And breathe.
Are you up for the challenge?
There’s certainly a great deal to learn about this subject.
I like all of the points you made.