A Timely Responsibility

"I didn't have time".

That phrase, whether said by me or someone else, always seems to rouse my inner thinker. The note that we each have as much time as did, say, Einstein, definitely holds true. Yet how many times do we use that phrase...even in one day?

Sorry, I didn't have time to give you a call. I didn't have time to help with that. I didn't have time to relax today. I didn't have time to get that writing or art project or report done. I didn't have time to ....

I'm not saying that we aren't all supremely busy. Today's lifestyle, especially with its focus on success as measured by output, is a hectic one. Yet as I've mentioned before, how much is reason and how much is excuse?

What if we replaced every instance of "I didn't have time" to "I didn't make time"? Ah, warning flags go up in my head, too. It is an ultimate form of responsibility that even the most virtuous among us might shirk away from.

Yet....just try to think about it for a minute. If we truly took responsibility for every action, every thought, how would you form your time?

When those things occurred that went against our pre-planned schedules or beyond our control (a traffic jam, kids not getting ready, etc.), perhaps, "I couldn't find time today" would be an appropriate response...acknowledging the event yet remaining aware that time is not something we "don't have".

Try for a bit to ponder what your life would look like if you made time for those things you want to do, but frequently claim you don't have time for. What would it take to get the excuses out of the way?

If your time was truly your responsibility, your life was yours to create, to design, what would you decide to make time for...and what to push aside?

Personally, I'm finding that the more I take responsibility for my time the easier it gets to make time for things I previously couldn't find time for. Even laundry, dishes, errands all seem to fit easier into the schedule. I don't know why this is, and I choose not to spend my time questionning too much.

I do know that at the very least the awareness that my time is my own - and indeed, all I have and all my responsibility - makes each and every moment more precious.