Do I Have Enough Time?

Taking some time in Riverview Park, Pittsburgh

I have enough time.

This is an idea my chiropractor shared with me a couple of months ago as we were talking about the connection between stress and muscle tension. He said that he’d heard Deepak Chopra suggest that how much time we have is a matter of mindset. Along with this, I suppose, comes prioritizing our time for what’s most important in our lives.

This feels like a statement made from a place of privilege to me (try telling someone with three jobs that they have enough time), but the idea does bring me into a more mindful state when I’m feeling frenzied. A Post-It note hanging at my desk reminds me to take a breath and make a plan. It’s become a mantra: “I have enough time. I have enough time. I have enough…”

And yet I pretty regularly feel that I don’t have enough time to both meet my obligations and pursue my interests. Case in point: this is my first blog post of the year even though I love to write. I’m resisting the temptation to run down the to-do list right now, but, honestly, the weight of the list is ever-present.

The last time I felt I had enough time was the summer of 2022 in Nova Scotia. I had a lighter workload than I do right now, but there was more to it than that. Kathi and I were enjoying a pretty simple existence in a cottage along the Bay of Fundy. Our living conditions allowed for no TV, limited internet, lots of local radio, just as much reading, walks up the lane, and time just sitting and watching the ebb and flow of water. I’m realizing now that the Bay of Fundy with its “highest tides in the world” creates quite a different measure for passing the time than our typical “clock time” does. I can’t deny that the magic of that summer involved a combination of a shorter to-do list and a Maritime mindset. For those who are interested, here’s a post I wrote a few weeks into our trip and here’s one I wrote after we were back home.

But here we are in March 2024. I’m thinking less about the “have to” list and more about the “want to” list: reseasoning a frying pan, growing okra, working on a wildflower project across the street, visiting with my grandma, working with our foster dog, reading ALL of the books, and the list goes on. These are things that bring me joy and that I want to put my time into, yet my energy is lagging a lot of the time and I don’t get around to them. As for reading, there are times that all I want to do is read. I recently came across the Time Enough at Last episode of the Twilight Zone and (as they would never say in 1959) felt seen.

So, yes, life feels busy and stressful for me lately (and probably for you as well). But here’s the thing…we have to find ways to simplify, make choices, and prioritize the “want to” list. Because prolonged periods of stress and imbalance have a way of catching up with us. (See my Are You too Busy to Trail? post for more on this.) This brings me to the song “Enjoy Yourself.” A month or two ago I was sharing this notion of having enough time in a meeting. That’s when someone countered with the message of the song:

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink.
The years go by as quickly as a wink.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It’s later than you think.

It was a fun conversation that still has me pondering whether I have enough time or just the opposite. In any case, here are links to two versions of the song: Todd Snider’s original (for Eric!) and The Specials version (for Chris!). And if you want to invest hours upon hours taking a deep dive on the subject of time, I recently listened to the book Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny O’Dell. It’s a meandering sort of read that considers clock time, geologic time, and productivity culture.

I’d love to know your thoughts on all this. Feel free to send me a message or get a conversation going in the comments!

If you’re here for the first time…

If you’re here for the first time, welcome! You may be wondering why I’m writing about time, stress, and mindfulness instead of trails and communities. Well, that’s just sort of how it goes with my posts. I think it’s important to bring our authentic selves into every line of work and have conversations as “whole humans,” so sometimes it’s a post on the trail economy, and other times it’s a post about feeling busy. I hope you’re looking forward to taking part in the conversation!

If you have the *time* for some more reading, here are a few older posts I’ve pulled for you: 

Why Trail Work Matters (Plus My Inaugural Maple Tapping)
Good Neighbor Resilience
Two Fayettes Finding Their Way

Gratitude Notes

I want to express my continued gratitude for being part of a global community of people who care so deeply about trails, nature, and communities. Anywhere I go (recently that includes Hardin County, Tennessee; Tupelo, Mississippi; and Northeastern Pennsylvania) I’m reminded of this as well as the power of building relationships with others who are working to affect change. THANK YOU, and keep going!

The S’mores Social at the 2024 Tennessee RiverLine Summit