I am in awe about how quickly time seems to pass. With my schedule, with some parts of it static and others changing often, I really need to stay on task in order to make sure I get all of my work done and meet my obligations. However, it’s not possible to please everyone or do everything. It’s not possible to say yes to every obligation or opportunity that comes my way. Sometimes that means deferring an invitation to dinner out, declining extra hours at work when I know that, as much as the extra funds would be a blessing, it’s over my energy limit, or reminding myself that even though it’s summer, the “lazy” days are over for me. Sometimes it hurts to have to say no, especially when something sounds exciting or new to me. Excitement, however, is overrated. I can’t sacrifice what’s important for me to do in favor of something more engaging or exciting. That’s like sacrificing principles and values I hold dear In order to “have a little fun.” What’s important to me right now is getting through school, being the best employee I can be, and being a great friend and family member. Those roles and priorities aren’t without their exciting times, either. As a graduate student, I often get to research, write about, and discuss topics that are interesting to me, and many exciting networking opportunities come my way. As an employee, I can challenge myself to be a better one, mastering my paperwork, engaging more effectively with consumers and those at the agency office, and developing my skills as a great problem solver. As a friend and family member, I can integrate my sense of adventure into time spent with family or find creative ways to express to them that I care. I can’t say “yes” to every opportunity that comes my way or pretend that I’m living simply for the adventure of life—I have to find the adventure in the circles I move in. I say “yes” to fun and creativity in the decisions that I already make each day. When my work is done and it’s my time to have fun, I can seek out the large-scale adventures I crave. It takes all that time, like sand slipping through the hourglass, and keeps it from being a disorienting and ineffective mess—like a sandstorm. Instead, time well spent becomes a protection from disaster like a sandbag, a place of refuge like an oasis, or an opportunity for beauty, like sand art. Spending my time wisely takes the seemingly endless desert of my routine and turns it into something wonderful, with effects that don’t slip away as my time seems to. I try not to worry about the hourglass. I have better ways to spend my time—like making sure I’m making the most of each moment.
