Time
I Wake up! It’s time to go! Wherever it is or whatever needs to be done, that’s how most mornings start. As a younger man, the second my feet hit the floor I was flat out. Whether as a whitewater guide, carpenter, kayaker, or contractor, I only had 2 speeds, on and off. If the mental brakes were to the floor, that was sleep time, otherwise my throttle was stuck wide open.
Some would argue, I still operate this way. However, I consider my pace at 50 much more measured. While the needs of each day still take on a breathless character for me, my ramp up to full speed feels more controlled and considered. Have I learned some invaluable lesson from the past that created this change? Probably not! I just think the miles on the body and mind over the years necessitate a softer acceleration.
Creating a satisfying and sustainable way to live becomes more central with the realization that our children are growing older and more independent as our window of health and capability seems to shrink slightly each year. While I know this to be true, I intend to stretch my capability and quality of life to its intended maximum. Using our time each day to find joy, strength, and satisfaction is imperative.
I’ve discovered through a process of personal change and redefinition, that how I use my time DOES matter and that the breathless determination to do something with it is a gift. I was wired from birth to work, explore, and grow. We all are! Maturity, if I can call it that, has brought me patience I lacked. With it, has come a more manageable set of expectations for what can be done in a day and a contentment with that throughput rather than a youthful frustration that it wasn’t more.
While my days severely lack perfection, I’ve discovered a comforting tempo as I have stopped trying to cheat the last experience out of the day by just staying awake. Removing screens from my nighttime ritual has been the best thing I’ve done. No longer do I allow my exhausted brain to wring out it’s last into the pit of Netflix and YouTube. Well, usually anyway. Finding that off switch at day’s end also requires draining my battery fully into the day I create. That’s where the softer roll in the next morning helps me to find the avenues to spend that precious energy toward my family, my community and myself.
By not hitting SNOOZE, and embracing the day each morning, I feel like my acceleration starts. More slowly than in my 20s and 30s, but underway nonetheless. For me, rising before dawn, triggers that sense of horizon, that I am getting that little extra bit out of my day. I allow myself 20 to 30 minutes to coffee up and contemplate, and, yes, maybe glance at a YouTube or 2. Often, I find myself on the trail riding or digging by 4:30 or 5:00 AM. My curfew to be back home to care for the needs of the family is 7:00 AM. That incredible footprint of time, flanked by utter darkness and euphoric sunrise, is 2 hours that my mind, body, and spirit have come to cherish.
Balance is found through trial and error, tipping and falling. We each find it in different ways and our processes are always changing. What matters is that we try to use our time pursuing endeavors and experiences that align with our values and engage our magnificent world. For me, the window through which the world makes sense is no window at all. I have always just experienced it first hand by getting outside. I have never regretted a second spent outdoors. Enjoying the sounds, smells, and changing light brings a satisfaction of which I will never tire. Time is of the essence, that will never change either!