Monday Musings Part One: Right Here, Right Now

Right Here, Right Now.

Have you got that Monday feeling? The one where the whole rest of the week looms ahead, and you wish that Friday would get a move on and get here already. Perhaps you felt like that on Sunday night?

I’m one of the lucky few who enjoys work; being self-employed helps. And, still, I prefer my days off. How much more so any of you folks who hate your job.

The trouble is, if we spend all week looking for Friday, we miss the precious time we have right now. The older I become, the faster time goes. I swear my watch has sprouted jet engines. These days, all I seem to ask is, ‘Where did the time go?’

Each time I feel like the world’s going too fast, it reminds me how little time I have left. Already, I’ve used up forty-three years of whatever allotment I have. And I don’t want to waste it. I’ve stared death in the face more than once, and I’m not ready yet. I have so much more life to live. However, if I know only one thing, it’s that we don’t get to choose when we go. When our time’s up, it’s up. End of.

Luckily, time doesn’t exist. We made it up. If you’ve ever sat quietly, you’ll probably have spotted this already. Have you noticed that when you have something unpleasant to do, time drags. And the opposite is true: when you’re having fun, time flies. Strange, considering that your watch or clock ticks away the seconds at the same rate, regardless.

The only thing that’s different is our perception. And this is good news. It means we have a choice. It means we’re not enslaved to time. This is the key to stopping the clock and being Right here, right now.

 Sure, time has its uses for keeping us on schedule for trains, meetings, and all that stuff. However, we have to realise that it doesn’t have any intrinsic reality. To live a life outside of time is to live a life free.

I used to plan everything. Seriously, it bordered on OCD. I lost count of the number of times the universe laughed at my carefully calendared plans. It took a long time for me to understand in a blood and bones way that I wasn’t in the driver’s seat. Each time we breathe in, we assume we’ll breathe out, but it’s not something we can take for granted. Likewise, every time we fall asleep, we trust that we’ll wake up, but nowhere is that guaranteed.

While this all might sound negative, it’s a useful reminder to enjoy ourselves right now. A prompt not to wish our precious lives away. I might not like Monday too much, but I can’t change the day of the week. What I can do is to make the most of it. In the wise words of Zen:

‘Every day is a perfect day.’