Making
Time
“On
one side of the paper, list all of the things you know give you life
that you never take time to do. Then, on the other side, make a list
of all the reasons why you think it is impossible for you to do those
things. That is all there is to it. Just make the two lists, and keep
the piece of paper where you can see it. Also promise not to shush
your heart when it howls for the list it wants.”
Barbara
Brown Taylor (An Altar in the World)
I
had a conversation recently with some writers. We talked about the
things that keep us from devoting time to writing. Life mostly; work,
family, other commitments, the feeling that it is selfish to spend so
much time self-absorbed, as writing requires. One person, whose book
was just published, said the “convenient” times for him to write
were between four and six in the morning, and ten and midnight. It is
the same with my art—I only sit down to work on it after my work
day is done because it is play for me. Some old, tired message about
work ethic prevents me from taking seriously what is to my mind
simply fun. People who are worth their salt have to be productive
during the daytime! Sound familiar?
A
question Barbara Brown Taylor asks is this: “Are we worth more than
what we can produce?” Is our productive time, that which makes us
money, all that truly has value? Or is there an equally important
reason to do the things we know give us life, even if they are simply
fun. Leisure time, down time, creative time, heart time—all these
playful things carry every bit as much weight as our labor. Whether
we're a brain surgeon, or a ditch digger, time spent recharging our
batteries will make us more, not less, productive.
Spiritually
speaking, the soul is far more interested in that which engages our
hearts than in whatever puts money in our pockets. Our tenure in Earth
School is about more than our work—it is about developing all the
missing parts of ourselves, evolving our consciousness, doing our
little bit to push our species forward. Our labor may be a part of
that, but so is our play, and most especially, so is our creativity.
Today,
make time to do the things that give you life. That's your soul work.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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