Hi there!
We’re a few days into November and there is something about this month that almost feels like the beginning of a race. Lots of things happen in a short amount of time and we’re just trying to keep up. Time feels evasive and the expectations are high to get it all done. I feel it too.
Recently, I read a book that discussed some simple math. It advised making an estimate of:
[how many books you read in a year] x [your estimated life expectancy]= the amount of books you have left to read.
For an active reader, it didn’t seem like a lot of books and for someone who doesn’t read much, its even less. Books seem like something available when we have the time, but so rarely are books scheduled into our day.
The author was asking the reader to consider, this may seem like a lot or a few for you, but if you are only going to read this amount, wouldn’t you be more careful of what you read? Wouldn’t you pick the best book you can and optimize your time with it? Reading something that will make your life better or more meaningful?
And what if it wasn’t “reading”? What if it was yoga, or pilates or meditation instead? How could we use this concept to consider the practice we have left?
You could argue this is a morbid concept, but keep in mind-most students report they love a pose called ‘corpse’ so I think we can handle a little morbidity, yes?
With this equation in mind, add in the idea we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping and now spend as much time in front of a screen as we do sleeping, possibly more if you work with a computer. Americans average over 5 hours/day on their phone (techjury.net).
What if we budgeted our time like we do our finances? How could we change the way we process information, take in conversation and handle anxiety by reallocating our time from the scroll of the phone, to introspective time we have a hard time budgeting in?
I like to think of practice as an intermission. Its not taking away-punishing you like a chore; its giving you a little break to create space and savor the moments as they fall. So for a brief part of your day, you get to stop and notice the charms of the time of year.
May you be happy,
~Carmen