Tag: ideas

A MOMENT IN TIME

~ simplyput536 ~ Leave a comment

Just thinking. I’m about an hour and a half away from needing to be somewhere for a volunteer session I signed up for yesterday. It takes time to get there. I look at the clock and see there is not enough time to: try a new recipe; do additional needle work on the counted cross-stitch piece ; or clean out that file drawer which has sorely lacked my attention. Not sure what to do to fill those empty minutes, I review my options.

  • Well, I could read a book. Nope, not that fond of the book I’m currently trying to finish. (Heaven help me for I am one who has to finish a book once it’s started, even if I find it tedious.)
  • I could work on the one unfinished painting which I recently over-painted. Acrylic paint. It was a landscape so manicured and lacking personality, it made me shiver – not in a good way. I like part of how the over-painting has turned out, but about two-thirds of the canvas still needs to be addressed. Hummm, not enough time, as I can never tell how long the creative juices need to flow to get that painting just “right” for me.
  • Oh, I can play with the cat and put her through her paces. She would like that but realistically she’s done in about five to ten minutes and is off to something else. She dictates how long joint play is to last. That won’t fill the space.
  • Maybe sudoku. A possibility, but lately, while playing, I am easily distracted by whatever else is within my view or hearing. Doesn’t sound like fun.
  • I could call a friend to see what’s going on with life. Not really in the mood. My friend is prone to chatter, making a lengthy call a strong possibility; and, again, I’m not really in the “chattering” mood.

As I go through the list, I find myself unimpressed with any of the options, notwithstanding, they are things I like to do regularly. What is it about today that makes them boring or uninviting? Am I just bored? Or does the activity have to matter?

According to the computer’s uninvited AI, boredom can be defined as “an unpleasant emotional and psychological state where a person feels restless, uninterested, and lacking stimulation or satisfaction with their current activity.” That sounds about right. Wikipedia, after acknowledging that it is difficult to define, suggests that boredom involves how time is experienced and how significant the act is to the person. After spending a few moments more looking at some other sources, I’m left not wanting to delve deeper and decide it’s not boredom. Rather, I simply find myself with an unexpected free slice of time without a plan. There’s always plenty to do – if I wanted to do it and if I really thought about it. I’m sure; and, although there is a nagging feeling that I should be productive with all my time, I pause and remember not every waking moment needs to be “productive”. Things like taking 15 minutes to sit on a back deck watching the trees sway with the wind and noting the birds and such moving about is restorative. Connect with nature. Maybe add time to sip a cup of Earl Grey tea.. Or, dash off a funny note to someone you’ve been meaning to do. Play with the cat or dog. We are so blessed to have options and the freedom to choose how we fill those intermittent, uninvited slices of unclaimed time when they surface. Just thinking.

EARLY MORNING

~ simplyput536 ~ Leave a comment

Just thinking. What is it about how we greet the early morning hours?

Are you the one who uses early morning as a quiet time to be enjoyed before the world wakes up? (Before the political pundits begin sermonizing and offering opinions about what’s going wrong or before the constraints of others come into focus.) Yes, indeed, that could be you. For you, the sun has yet to announce its’ presence. A steaming cup of coffee or tea may be at hand, ready to sip. Maybe, there is quiet chatter with a loved one or simply the contemplation of one’s own breathing; and, although the dog and cat each have a way of letting you know you are on their mind, they can be ignored for the moment. No rush. Peace abounds. This new day will come.

Or do you use that early morning time in “full-bore” mode. When it strikes, everyone is up and rearing for the day’s activities to get started. Caffeinated beverages are quickly inhaled and breakfast consumed. The air is filled with news channel chatter or music to get the juices going, and things to be accomplished are quickly identified. My guess is that the dog has already been walked, and the cat is either at play or back sound asleep. The birds outside, well, they are noisily tweeting at one another. Out the door you go. All prepared. The new day awaits.

For sure, the ways to greet the early morning are a diverse as we are. Options are unlimited including, possibly, the option of sleeping through it all. The really cool thing about the early morning is that we choose what we to do with that time. No right or wrong here. Although, upcoming activities, habits, patterns, values and possibly planning skills certainly play into the picture, we each have the opportunity to: figure out what approach to starting out day suits us best, define how our time is to be used, and act accordingly. Choices. The blessed early morning repeatedly, day after day, gives us those opportunities. Choices – here for the taking. Don’t you love that about it?

JUST A THOUGHT

~ simplyput536 ~ Leave a comment

A word or thought for the day. “Microscope.” Who first, before credit was taken, even thought of the idea? What triggered the need to have such a thing; or did the thought come from sheer curiosity? What was it that was being looked for? Structural integrity? Flaws? Secrets?

Look what it got us. A world (solid, liquid, gas) made up of particles attached to one another so small they cannot be seen with the human eye and, possibly, not with the strongest of microscope-like equipment. It’s a good thing we don’t need to see the world in that fine of detail.

Thank you God for creating something so complicated that we cannot break it. I guess you knew when You created us that because we’re human and capable of making wrong choices, You needed a safety net. What a beautiful unfathomable net it is.