A movie from 1981 about a boy who falls in with a group of time-travelling dwarf thieves. An off-beat comedy I've always enjoyed. Has nothing to do with this post.
I haven't really accomplished a lot lately. Lots of stuff to do, lots of things going on, but my list of completed tasks, or at least projects that are nearing completion, is small. We bought a motorcycle in June. An '85 Kawasaki, lots of old parts to replace. Its still sitting in pieces. The outrigger canoe I'm building for a handicapped friend? Its still sitting in pieces. Bought a bass guitar to play with the church worship team. Bought a second unicycle. Downsized the garden from last year, but its still a thousand square feet, plus a space in front of the house for hot peppers. The trash pile behind the house. The cluttered basement. You get the idea.
The above list doesn't include relationships, and the maintenance they require. Wife. Kids. Grandkids. Friends. Friends' kids. Acquaintances. Strangers. The list also doesn't include all the stuff it takes to make life work. Bills. House cleaning and maintenance. Laundry. Vehicle maintenance. How about time for work? Do I leave any time for God?
I made a major decision. I decided to say, "No". I decided there was just too much going on in my life. Too many demands on my time pulling from too many directions. I had to sit down and make a list. On this list, I wrote those things to which I have decided to devote myself. And if something isn't on the list, it will require great consideration before I commit to it.
This brings me to the topic of this post, time bandits. There are processes and endeavors that I give my time to, and they don't give back. Or, more fairly to some of them, they don't add enough to my life to justify all the time spent with them. I have begun to identify these thieves, and determine methods of diminishing their effect on my life. Some of these thieves I've always known, some are fairly new, but they still produce a drag effect on my time, and need to be dealt with.
First is facebook. I love facebook. I love staying in touch with most of the family and friends I've ever had. They are all very important to me, every one of them. I simply don't have the time to keep up with everyone's life. But I want to! How to solve this dilemma, I believe, is to not stay logged in to facebook when I'm home. Since I signed up a few years ago, I log in when I first pass by the computer, and log out on my last pass. If its eight hours, I'm logged in for eight hours. This means every time I pass by the computer, I can see if there are any new updates. A huge distraction to whatever I was doing at the moment, to stop and check that one new update. Cumulatively, a major drag on time.
(My wife is in the kitchen processing peaches, and I am in the dining room typing. We just sneezed simultaneously. Cool. And scary!)
Youtube is another. I love youtube. What an incredible source of information, and in video format! My issue with youtube is at night, when I'm getting ready for bed. I've gotten into the habit of watching a few videos, of varying and random content, just to see what's going on outside my walls. This can extend my awake time, especially if my wife becomes interested, and we lay there, peering at the small screen on my smartphone. I guess it isn't any different than years ago, when I would fall asleep on the couch to the ten o'clock news, then the late show, then the late late show, then wake up at 2 am to television white noise. Remember those days? Sleep is precious to me, and this is a time bandit that needs to be altered.
Network television is not as prominent in my life as it used to be, having been replaced by the online experience. It does still exist, and in another form: Netflix. Remember the days of getting up to change the channel, or standing there holding the aluminum on the rabbit ears to get a good picture? Now I can sit on the couch and control everything. Which can lead to a fair amount of time sitting and watching. Again, not unlike the old days.
There are others, but this post is already becoming burdensome. When I made my list of acceptable endeavors to occupy my time and replace the time bandits, the topics centered around what is beneficial to my life. What will give me a return on my time investment. If I had done this thirty years ago, how different would my life be!
The bass guitar is a source of love for my soul. I love music, and instead of a passive love, always listening, I can be a part of that love. Playing, creating, making beautiful noise in a world that needs more beautiful noise. Practicing is something I have been doing more of, and it replaces the mostly passive facebook addiction.
Exercising, in whatever form that takes, is something I am working into my schedule as well. I have a free membership to a beautiful local gym, because my daughter is a college student and I get dad access! Swimming, weight lifting, and lots of other opportunities, not to mention the outdoor tennis courts and fields, and only three miles from my house. At home, I have the unicycles. I hate running, in case you are wondering. I will sprint on a field or soft track, but refuse to jog on a hard surface. Exercise is absolutely a time commitment, but I do not want to grow old and be out of shape, dependent on others to care for me. If that does happen, it will be through injury or disease, and not neglect.
Spending time with family is something that seems to have grown less lately. Between work and other stuff, there has been neglect in this critical area. I took my daughter and the grandkids out yesterday, and just had fun. We planned on kayaking, but the torrential downpours postponed that idea until next week. We went to McDonald's for lunch, I usually chase them in the McDonalds playplace, but there were too many other kids there. Yes, I climb in them. We also went swimming at my daughter's college pool. Just spending time with them was wonderful, and they get to build memories of a fun grandpa. My son is waiting for my motorcycle to be finished, so we can go riding. After all my stories of riding twenty years ago, we are both anxious to get the wheels turning again. My other son lives with me, along with his wife and baby daughter. What a joy to have them around! I have two great brothers-in-law to spend quality time with. I have nieces and a nephew who like spending time with Uncle Alan, and God has brought a special eleven-year-old girl into my life who really needed a father-figure. Though I've known her for less than a year, I already love her like my own children. And I do spend good time with my wife. That relationship is strong, and ever-growing!
I also have family out of state, friends I consider family, and an ever-growing family tree. Although my presence isn't necessary in some of their lives, its beneficial for all of us to enjoy and share the beauty of what we've been given. This is one area where I would die inside without facebook.
To discuss my relationship with God would take hours. I can honestly say that is one area that has suffered from neglect, and is the highest priority of my time assessment.
I could go on and on, but I have to get ready for work. This post still seems burdensome, but I much more enjoyed writing about the positive changes and improvements than what was wrong. Its amazing how I think I'm too busy for some things because of other things, but with an honest look at what really matters, the unimportant stuff just sort of fades away. My life is a lot better for it!
