Several days ago my husband and I were talking about time, how quickly this past year has gone and the older we get the more fleeting it seems to be.
I was visiting Catherine's blog, A Gardener In Progress, and congratulated her on a One Year Anniversary of blogging. Amidst her discussion was the mention of moving from writing every day to perhaps 3 times a week, and that brought me to think about the amount of time we each may spend on the internet, one that if we are not careful, can take on a life of its own.
I assume most of us write/blog for ourselves, as a means of expression and for record keeping, a journal, and within this environment we meet others with similar interests, follow them and comment periodically on their writings; they in turn reciprocate. A captivating and wonderful world exists in this age of the internet; we connect with people around the globe, and a truly remarkable community has been formed. We join online gardening groups and horticultural sites. There is email, Twitter, Facebook... more social networking possibilities than are hours in a day, but moderation is the current theme of the day.
Thankfully, we have full lives and time requires attention and constant evaluation; periodically I rethink the balance in our life, and realize that some of the things I do via the internet, although stimulating and interesting, may need revaluation. Thus, I've given myself a writing assignment: make an honest assessment, a list from the following:
- Besides health and family, what are the priorities in my (our) life?
- List my daily activities: exercise, writing, photography, cooking, internet, gardening, laundry, cleaning...
- With only so many waking hours in a day, how shall I choose to use them?
- What do I need to accomplish today... this week... this year?
- What do I want to accomplish?
As the dynamics of our life change, so must our priorities. Last year I developed a knee problem and have been under doctor's care the last six months. Therapy and knee injections have produced some favorable results, but there remain limitations on many activities. Rather than exercising at home, my husband and I have joined a fitness center whereby I can exercise in the pool. That now requires a minimum of 2 hours of each day for me, and that is ungrudgingly stated.
Our focus is more on things that matter, our priorities, rather than things that don't matter as much. Have you thought about your priorities?
