Wastin' Time

“Ordinary Time”

“A Thursday—no—a Friday someone said.

What year was it?

Just after the previous age ended, it began.

And although the scientists still studied the heavens

and the stars blazed—if the evening wasn't cloudy—

what happened did not occur in public view.

Some said it simply didn't happen, although others insisted they knew

all about it

and made many intricate plans.”

                      Mary Howe (In the Kingdom of Ordinary Time)

How many of your days are spent in Ordinary Time? Days when you rise in the morning, go about the necessary activities of the day, have dinner, read the paper and go to bed. Nothing eventful happens. It's just a regular day; no pegs along the way to hang a memory on, no happenstance encounters to recall. Later, when someone asks, “What did you do yesterday?” you'll say, “Oh, nothing much.” In fact, you won't even remember what you did yesterday because it was just...well...ordinary.

I used to think this was a problem. A day forgotten was a lost day, an empty waste of precious time, or perhaps a brain freeze. Did I have a black out! Why don't I remember that day? But now, I deeply appreciate ordinary time. I am delighted when I wake up in the morning, look at my calendar and see a perfectly blank page. It means that I can do anything I want, for as long as I want, with no interruptions. I can fly under the radar for a whole day.

I think the notion that there is something wrong with ordinary time is part of our cultural craziness. If we have a day without a plan, no meetings, no deadlines, no social commitments, we feel suddenly vacant. Maybe no one wants to see us, maybe we're so unimportant no one will even realize we're not there. I must be losing my edge, my popularity has diminished, and I must move heaven and earth to get it back. A packed calendar equals an important person, a mover and a shaker.

Empty pages in the calendar are a boon to sanity and creativity. Cherish the days when you do “nothing much” except be with yourself. Ordinary time is an extraordinary gift.

                                                  In the spirit,

                                                      Jane