Time Is On My Side
Many years ago, when I was a student living at Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm, it was my welding teacher, Harry Roberts, who taught that the secret of welding is to see that the natural state of metal is actually liquid. By applying heat, we soften it to its original condition, and make it flexible, allowing it to be changed with little effort. Harry laughed as he told me this, and said this is the secret of being a human being as well. Our world, and time appear solid, he said. Our belief in this solid world leads us to act in ways that are similar to attempting to shape metal while it is hard. Instead, our minds and bodies are much more fluid than we usually assume; our world is less permanent, and more possibilities exist than we conventionally imagine.
I’ve noticed, for myself, my coaching clients, and for most people in my life there are many ways to fool ourselves about time. It was Albert Einstein who said, “…the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.”
Thich Nhat Hanh tells in one of his early books, The Miracle of Mindfulness, about a father who believes he never has enough time for himself. He feels many demands, including the demands of his young son who wants to play with him. After a good deal of anxiety, the father had an important realization - by letting go of the false distinctions he had been making, he understood that his time with his son is his time. He realized that everything he does is his time.
What's to learn from all this:
- Explore your assumptions about time and how these assumptions influence your actions and decisions.
- Enjoy your work.
- Enjoy your life.
- All time is your time -- how could it be any different?
- Enjoy more meals with family and friends.
- Explore your assumptions about time and how these assumptions influence your actions and decisions.
- Enjoy your work.
- Enjoy your life.
- All time is your time -- how could it be any different?
- Enjoy more meals with family and friends.
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