Pemo Chodron writes, “One of my favorite subjects of contemplation is this question: Since death is certain, but the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?”
And so it goes. Life is full, for all of us, constantly. There is no “have time” there is “make time” and “make it a priority”. I recently completed my online event INSpire 2021 and the Guides were very clear that 2021 is a year of clear choice, decision and being completely intentional in who we are and who we are becoming.
We are so often tempted to use the “I didn’t have time,” which I’ve learned is often code for “that wasn’t a priority for me”. I think in this year we just need to learn to claim our energy and how we’re spending it. Time is finite, and in my case, so is how much energy I have for my day. Being a person who deals with chronic fatigue, energy management is a real thing. So, the upside to that is it genuinely forces me to be clear on how I’m spending my energy. “What is the most important thing?” is not a question I take lightly as my day always has 10 different ways I could be spending my time and energy, and like a dollar bill, I only get to spend it once. I have to be clear.
Over the years I’ve spent a lot of my energetic cash on worrying about what other people think, or getting involved in other people’s stuff, worrying more about others than they worried or worked on themselves, getting tied up in being upset because someone around me was upset, feeling like I had to fix it. That’s a lot of pay out for no ROI, so it was evident I found myself beyond exhausted. Life is a great teacher, and I’ve learned to mind my own bobber and pay attention to what I am doing, thinking, feeling and what is the most important thing to ME.
I’ve learned throughout the years, both with my work and my personal life, that I can’t help someone who is committed to their pain, drama, fear, etc. It is their journey and I back out slowly so they can have it. Do I provide assistance when it’s wanted, of course. We are not meant to do this world alone, but we are meant to know when to keep our nose out, or to understand when someone is doing the best they can where they’re at, and leave it that way until perhaps they are ready to shift. Send love, not judgment.
When we’re clear on what is us, we can be clear on what is most important to us, and for us. We can, as Spirit asks and Pema Chodron prompts, contemplate the best use of our time and energy in each moment and each day. Chodron goes on to say that she often finds herself at the end of the day amazed how the day is already gone and wondering what she did with that one day. Reviewing for herself where she used her time, her energy , her thoughts and emotions. Let us not squander our precious, sacred time on this earth, surrounded by these amazing people that we love, by these characters of life that we perhaps look at with wonder and curiosity, in this incredible world full of beauty and struggle. We can view our lives in all their fullness of commitments, balancing acts, have to’s and should-isms and let them simply be choices, decisions and intentional acts.
We can bring mindfulness to our lives. We can live based on what is most important to us, and allow others to decide for themselves what their “most important’ is.
Each day is an opportunity to spend our time and energy; “death is certain, our time of death is not certain”. Let’s choose intentionally what makes the most of the time we have.
Forever the journey, Anne