What Do You Do with All of Your TIme?

Since I retired from public education I have been asked a myriad of times, “Now that you are retired, what do you do with all of your time?” There are many answers I have thought about sharing but know that they are at best, unkind. I have responded, “Keeping busy, working, writing, teaching, and spending time with manual labor.” Many inquirers have no idea that writing and teaching take a considerable amount of time and work. For them, words just automatically fall on to a page and teaching requires no study. For me, I labor over every word and I must study extensively for every lesson I teach and every workshop I present. I find it interesting that the people that are the most concerned with how I use my time show little concern as to how they spend their time. I am probably as guilty as my inquisitors when it comes to judging how people use their time. I have caught myself saying, “I do more work before 9:00 in the morning than that ‘lazy pup’ does in a week.” I know, at best, unkind.

The real issue as to what I do with all of my time is the same issue for everyone. Just like every other person, I have twenty four hours in my day. A minute is a minute if you are seven or seventy. Minutes make hours, hours make days, days - months, and months make years and the older we become the more we realize how fast time flies. Benjamin Franklin said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.” ('Poor Richard's Almanack,' June 1746)

It is true that every person has the same amount of time in every day. It is also true that no person is guaranteed any time save for the present moment. We should all use every moment we have wisely, honorably, appreciatively, and beneficially.