Entry for August 11, 2007

Random thought of the day - The best Gift you could give someone, is the Gift of Your Time.

Kids are having their vacation. Now they can wake at what ever time they want, do what they want, at least for the most part, of course there is a basic structure for the day with times for eating, playing, studying and cleaning up. I thought that once the vacation starts there would be less of hurrying to get the stuff done on time.

It would do me good to live up to the meaning of my name-Rashmi which is Sanskrit for Sun rays implying warmth, but for some strange reason, I tend to live up to the Pronunciation of my Name-Rush me. It has been my constant effort to not hurry. I have seen too many people succumb to hurry around me. They hurry so much that they can't see what is right in front of them. They can't appreciate their kids genuinely. They can't see the value of their friends or their family cause they are in such a hurry. Everything becomes a formality. Don't you hate it when someone comes over to meet you, like a whirlwind(stay for less than half an hour) because they are busy? If you are really that caring, why not give the other the Gift of Your Time? We hurry so much that we end up with stress related diseases, accidents, anxiety, worry leading to high blood pressure and diseases related to it. I try not to make that mistake, but it is not to be so. Most times I tend to hurry over something - "Oh! Hurry, you need to call parents before they go to bed(they being in India and me in the USA). Hurry! Hurry! finish cooking, cause the kids will feel hungry early today cause they didn't eat lunch. Hurry! else you will miss the start of the movie. Hurry! else you will - (ah put your words here)." I need someone to blame for all the hurrying I do, don't I? How could I say that I am bad at managing time? If I could get that person who invented the concept of measuring time, I think I will strangle them. But I will have to go back in time(oops I cant do without time can I?) for that, maybe to the Earliest Egyptian or the Roman Civilization. That's when someone decided that they needed water clocks and sundials to measure time. So noble they were that they thought everyone will be grateful to them for inventing those devices- Well, I am not pleased at all!!! They even have a name for the study of clocks- Horology - the study of the art and science of timekeeping devices. Horology.. hmm is it related to Horus, the falcon headed Egyptian god of the sky? I don't know.. just wondering.

I think life would have been better without the clock, at least it would make people really listen and give the gift of time to those around them. Instead of half listening with pre-occupation of what they need to get done next, feeling like a psychotherapist, "Your time is up, Next." The result is, I see kids who are needy for time from adults, I see elders who are lonely, I see friends who become cynical with the feeling that there is nothing called friendship, I see couples who havent spoken to the other all week-All from the Lack of time. I wish I could slow time down. I wonder if Einstein's idea can be implemented practically, so that we can actually slow time down. What would its repercussions be? Would our muscles weaken? Would our bones collapse at the slightest impact? Going to stop for now.. Take care of yourselves-Let your bodies get enough rest, let your minds float for a while, let your lips curve with joy and listen to your hearts sing. Wishing you all remember to give the Gift of Time to those you care about. Have a lovely weekend.

Off to where my feet are, taking my head away from the clouds.

Signing off

Mithuna.

Note to Self : Remember to Give the gift of time to your kids, family and friends. Don't worry about what needs be done next, the world doesn't end if you take a little while longer. Work on having a realistic expectation of what can get done in 24 hours.