I’ve been enjoying my summer break over these past weeks, but have felt lethargic, more so recently, at perhaps not being able to have filled my time as productively or meaningfully as I’d have liked.
So I decided to watch some TED talks, and remarkably, during those 30 minutes or so of viewing, I felt more alert and attentive than I’d been in the entire day – the feeling of lethargy had vanished completely.
Suddenly, it became clear to me. Rest itself is necessary, and can be good, but means nothing if the time surrounding it isn’t spent well. In other words, if all you have is rest, at least in my case, it’s actually quite uncomfortable.
As an example, I run frequently, but on occasion, after work, I’ve felt too tired to go out and decided to skip it. Skipping my run gave me an hour extra free that evening, but actually, having lost the physical and psychological benefits of exercise, those evenings didn’t feel so good, in comparison to when I had exercised. In some ways, I actually felt more tired!
If you look back on the best times of your life, you’ll likely remember how you felt in moments; seconds. In fact, they probably accumulate to less than a few minutes in total – those moments are crystallized, timeless even. As I was considering all of this, I concluded that it’s not the amount of time we have, but to ensure that we live our life in line with our own principles and intentions, in order to be able to fully appreciate those moments when they arrive π
Second
Huge amounts of time
coated in lethargy
fuzzy mind and vision
losing my energy
Thought to take a second
investing in variety
to learn something new
focus returned, suddenly
βIn everyday life
we’ve lost our attention.
Constant stimulation
leads to distraction.β
1440 minutes per day
I lived only thirty
but in that brief time
felt an epiphany
rest is consoling
but only in bursts
lack of activity
insatiable thirst
Time becomes irrelevant
when spent effectively
no longer counting down
or lost in complacency
instead captivated
by beautiful moments
fulfilling way to live
even for a second