I’ve been feeling like time is being stolen from us – feeling like a day is no longer 24 hours, second for second. We are always rushing, late and indeed ‘running late’ has become an expression of choice when we are running behind schedule. Then COVID-19 came, and people suddenly found themselves with too much time in their hands as the world slowed down. After the initial shock, Parkinson’s law kicked in – ‘Work expands to fill time available’, and humanity creatively crafted more work for themselves, and then time became a constraining factor once again. See the cyclical nature of this? Anyway, let me refocus and circle back to time later.
In March 2021, I left a good remunerating job with awesome
medical cover after more than nine years. This job required average intensity,
which had really become low intensity because of COVID-19, yet the salary
remained the same. I had wanted to leave for a while but needed a good reason
and courage to step out, indeed on hindsight I was seeking any reason. I started
on a short-term consultancy, minimal medical coverage, high intensity, skills
demanding, time consuming, fast paced job. This, to anyone who didn’t know me
would have felt crazy – but the people who knew about this transition
understood that such crazy is something that I could excel in. Three contract
renewals and a series of recruitment tests later, I accepted a more permanent
position with the organization. For this to take effect, it was mandatory that
I took a one-month break in service. This was about the most excited I had felt
in a long time. Colleagues were wondering why I was excited about an unpaid
break, and HR staff explained to me twice to ensure that I understood I won’t
be paid during my break. Of course, I clearly understood, and I wasn’t thinking
about the lost income, I was excited for the time gain.
As I write, I am six weeks into the break that was supposed
to be four weeks long, and I’m not complaining. This is not because I have projects
that I started or am engaged in that necessitate more tine. In effect, I didn’t
set any objectives for myself during this break – I could have learned to sew, gardened,
honed my knitting skills, travelled, visited friends, read a book a day, etc.
Instead, I decided this time I’ll let time take control and my only goal was my
life’s goal of staying happy today, now, this moment. So, when asked what I
have been doing these past weeks, my simple response has been ‘nothing, really’
and it really feels so good. When I look back at these past weeks, I realize no
amount of salary could pay for the time spent doing ‘nothing, really’. The cherry
on the cake and the most important assessment has been what my son has said/asked
so many times ‘Mommy, I wonder why you have become so relaxed and nice’. My response
– ‘Well son, it is because I’ve had many days of doing nothing really, and it
feels so great’.
