Ow(n)ing Time

So much for trying to write twice a week. But I can be forgiven for letting Life intrude.

I was perusing the Book of Faces when I saw a status of a HS friend complaining about calling a friend, who told him he had no time to talk, then seeing the same friend replying to several posts of mutual friends on the site. My friend felt slighted, almost as if his friend had purposely lied to avoid him. No matter what a person says about not having any time to talk, sometimes it can be revealed that they do indeed have time to talk on social media. That got me to thinking about Time, and the perceptions attached to it.

Last year, an old friend was chatting about how he wanted to get back into his old hobbies, but lamented how Time was his enemy. I told him that Time was just Time, and that he was the one stopping himself from pursuing his goals. We don’t own Time, and can be forgiven for failing to set aside some for others. Some people don’t manage giving time to others very well and others, like myself, give far too much of it and reserve very little for themselves. Either extreme is a bad habit, in my opinion. I have been described as an anchorite and sometimes I am waaaaaay too seen with that descriptor. That whole “making time” thing is nebulous. Setting time aside for fill-in-the-blank? That’s more tangible. Not easier, mind you. Just more likely to incentivize one to move towards a set goal.

I don’t necessarily think people are owed time. I do think that we owe it to ourselves to use our time to help establish and upkeep our social connections. We are social creatures, after all. Even my hermit friends enjoy touching base with humanity once in a while. Sometimes it’s difficult to stay in touch with old friends and with family. It feels like the longer you wait, the harder it is to just talk to an old friend. It has been my experience that giving time to reaching out tends to dissolve the awkwardness. It’s the same with hobbies and new goals. Taking the first step can be daunting, but knowing you have set aside time to take it helps one overcome the reluctance.

And with that, I must beg off. I set aside time for some stitching. 😉