Tick Tock

Time’s oppressive march forward is reality. However, today, it seems more existent. The big question is “how do I do it all?” The answer…

You can’t.

So then what? How does one triage? There are always things we must do. Breathe, eat, sleep, exercise. There are obligations we have. Work, family, friends, church, weddings, funerals, happy hour. Then what about things we like to do? TV, movies, reading, blogging, the great outdoors, play. How we do we juggle it all?

You do your best.

In childhood, boredom was defined as having nothing to do. As an adult, it is doing something uninteresting. As we progress through life, it is choosing what to do, not finding an activity. When was the last time you had nothing to do?

Becoming one with the couch is something. However, it is how you feel when you are done. Accomplished? Rested? Depressed? Angry? Not all events are easy to predict. The more drinks you have, the more likely it is you will have a hangover. However, one has a difficult time predicting if their MBA will be worthwhile. That process is risky because it is a significant investment in time with an uncertain outcome. Sure, there are many successful people with MBA’s. However, just like when prophesying, it is best not to count the misses.

With one month of a US permanent address left, I am thinking a lot about what I can do. My list grows longer and my time ticks slowly to zero. Events like these help give clarity to how we prioritize our lives. Certainly, after I disembark the plane, there will be things I should have done and things I should have let fall. It is natural to not get 100%.

Here’s to still looking for an “A”.

Moving Out

Things I have not used in years have been discarded. Clothes I have not worn are going to someone who will. Things have fresh paint that should have been painted years ago. Someone is coming to clean better than I ever could.

My place is near move-in ready and I am near ready to move out.

The purging process is interesting. It is amazing how free one can find himself by discarding hard earned possessions. Even small things like discarding CD and DVD cases, leaving behind only their precious innards, can be freeing. No longer does one need to purchase shelving to house said baggage. No longer does one have to figure out how to move all of the items.

There is a great travel site that changed my outlook on travel forever. This site shows you how to go anywhere, from San Diego to India, with only carry on luggage. By being adventurous on one trip, onebag.com helped show me how freeing going with less stuff is. Extrapolated, this applies to the rest of life, as well.

Possessions can own us. Sure, it’s nice to have something to wear for every occasion, a tool for each purpose, and plush spaces for your multiple copies of Star Wars (one DVD, one VHS). But how often do we need this stuff and does it make our lives more enjoyable?

Forcing oneself through a situation where you must purge your possessions is not standard issue. Most of us settle down in one spot and do not move. Even if we do move it usually involves friends or a moving company.

And do we need everything? I have gone five years without a headboard above my bed. While some of you may think this is behavior of a damaged person, others might realize that the piece of wood (formica) above their bed is an added stress and expense. And what does this give us?

Decoration?

Maybe this is all a bit Spartan? But somehow there is some poetry, especially as so much of us are learning that we may have to live with less. But what I am realizing is that with less, I am getting much more out of life. And as a wise man I know keeps saying, “the hearse doesn’t have a roof rack.”