Wisest Use of Time

When I was  in elementary school, more years ago than I care to remember, I won a graduation award given to the person who'd made the wisest use of his or her time. I was, at the time, always into one thing or another, probably always trying to prove myself among higher scoring students, to teachers I wanted to impress, among the people who got onto the cheer leading team or got leads in the school play.  Whatever the reason, I do remember being in constant motion back then, even if it was just the motion of having long philosophical phone conversations with my friends.

These days, there is still a lot of constant motion, between coordinating the lives of three kids and making enough of a living to hold up my end of the household.

The problem comes, I find, when my use of time is interrupted by delays over which I have no control. I don't remember if there were those in elementary school. Perhaps I was enough of a self-involved  kid back then, I could just barrel right through. Somehow, as a grown-up, barreling through  is harder. For, out in the world, there are things that are other people's jurisdiction. Out in the world, there is a structure, a hierarchy, and unless we are the boss everywhere, we end up bound by that structure. The challenge, then (and perhaps this was the challenge I met successfully in school), is to make the wisest use of the waiting time. For me, that means writing a post for my own blog instead of mindlessly reading the posts of strangers. It means culling through the paperwork that clutters my life and my apartment. It means networking efficiently. I'm sure none of these things would have won me that "wisest use of time" award way back when, but these days, it's much less about winning awards and much more about just getting the jobs done.

In elementary school--even in high school--I probably thought I could control my world. All these years later, I have realized I most certainly can't. What I can control is my response to my world. In elementary school--even in high school--I probably thought I could control my world. All these years later, I have realized I most certainly can't. What I can control is my response to my world. Which means that what I can do is keep being that person who makes the wisest use of her time.