Passing the Time....

I used to get very irritated with my Father when he was in his 80s. I would suggest something we might do & he would respond "it passes the time". Time was one thing I didn't have enough of, & if I'm honest, there were many other things I would rather have been doing than taking him out. Now I'm approaching 70, retired & widowed my view has changed with experience. I understand why he said that.

I fill my days as much as possible with doing things. I don't have a job as a focus, or something which defines me. So I have done a variety of volunteer roles since getting medical retirement from being a Primary Head Teacher when I was 46. (Magistrate, Mediator, Tutor for the NHS Expert Patient Programme, Lay Panel Member on a NHS panel which prioritised research bids, an Independent Monitor of Gloucester prison, & I am about to start as a volunteer events organiser for the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford). All really interesting roles - all gave me valuable experience - all essentially passing the time - all 23 years of it.

I think this is what life is. A limited period of consciousness which we have to fill. An opportunity to interact with others & contribute to their lives, hopefully in a positive way. A chance to learn & become better human beings. Voltaire said "study delivers us from the burden of our leisure".

When you are a young adult life can be a manic balance between, home & family, work & responsibility, leisure & social life. At my age life is very different, especially if you are single. You have to work at not becoming very self absorbed, not becoming a slave to boring routine, not becoming isolated. On the other hand you realise that time is very precious. Something that is not infinite & could be taken away at any moment.

Instead of simply passing the time, the trick is to be "mindful" & make every moment count. I haven't quite got the knack yet, it's a work in progress.