The other day my favorite local radio station played “All Kinds of Time,” by Fountains of Wayne. Do you know that song? I never realized before that it’s about football. Thanks, Mr. Alt-Rock DJ! You learn something new every day. But the message goes beyond feeling pressure on the football field. The lyrics go:
The clock’s running down
The team’s losing ground
To the opposing defense
The young quarterback
Waits for the snap
When suddenly it all starts to make sense
He’s got all kinds of time
He’s got all kinds of time
All kinds of time
I like that. We live in a “Life is Short” — “Act Now or Miss Out!” — “Hurry Up!” world. When I turned 30, a part of me really believed that I had failed because I had not been named “Top Something-or-Other Under 30.” (I had worked for a lot of magazines that were filled with those kinds of lists.)
Never mind that I didn’t know what that Something-or-Other WAS – editorial staffer? Vegetarian? Bargain shopper? It’s not like I had been single-mindedly working towards a specific goal like becoming a lawyer or pro tennis player. At that point I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. But I felt like I had already missed the boat.
Now that I’m a mom and a freelance writer, I feel even more pressure to get things done, not waste time. After all, it goes so fast! (They say.) I’m so used to squeezing my writing into tiny pockets of time and being as productive as I can in the time that I have.
Right now, though, as freelancers often are, I am between projects. My ebook has launched, my assignments are turned in, my pitches and follow-ups are sent. As long as I’ve been doing this, I know these lulls don’t mean all my work has dried up forever. I know this is just the calm before the inevitable storm. Things will pick up again and I’ll probably be busier than I want to be very soon.
So I’m focusing on trying to relax. Enjoying my downtime. Finding peace in this pause. I’ve been working on my own personal writing again. (As opposed to writing for clients.) I’m cooking more and cleaning my house. (Bleh.) I’m playing outside with the kids in this beautiful, unexpectedly warm February weather. (I’ll enjoy it while it lasts!)
There’s plenty of time to achieve work and career goals. Plenty of time for my family. Plenty of time for everything I want to do. I’ve got all kinds of time. All kinds of time.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Since I learned to bend time and get 27 hours to a day, it all seems so easy. Enjoy your semi-down time, cheers.
In all the lessons I learned that prompted me to write a memoir… this was a BIG one. That feeling that time is running out can be paralyzing. It doesn’t free us or push us toward anything good. We have to believe that we have DO have time… if not, how would we ever get the courage to take a leap and move in the direction of our dreams?
It feels like life moves at such a hurly burly pace. What a lovely sentiment.