Using our time wisely

When I write I usually listen to music. It serves to block out other sounds and helps me to focus.

As I was writing this column, a familiar song by Simon and Garfunkel caught my attention, “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” which began with these words: “Time, time, time, see what’s become of me...” The lyrics note the approach of winter, with bare trees and muted colors.

The Simon and Garfunkel song described how I feel these days when the virus has driven me inward, my house the place I now occupy more than ever before. And with winter approaching, it will be more difficult to adjust.

My home could either become a prison or a sanctuary, depending on how I use the time I was given. The wise words of Ben Franklin take on new meaning, especially during these times when many of us are homebound because of the virus: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the Stuff Life is made (“Poor Richard’s Almanack,” 1746.)

During this coronavirus disease, one thing everyone has had to deal with is time itself, whether working from home or going to school there. Some find time creeps by slowly while others wonder how quickly it passes.

Have you ever noticed that when you are doing something you love, perhaps playing or listening to music, time hardly seems to exist. You are lost in the moment. Contrast that to when you are bored, perhaps listening to a lecture, time seems to last longer. You feel caught in the monotony of endless time.

There are two Greek words that may help to explain the nature of time. Chronos is measuring time by the clock. It’s quantitative, measured in seconds and hours and days and beyond. Karios has to do with special moments in time, as when something important happens, say the birth of a child or watching the starry night sky and thinking his many other humans have done the same. This time is measured by its quality.

If you think too much about time, you may become trapped in it. An hour may seem like an eternity. That’s Chronos. But if you stop thinking about time and instead find something to do you, love, time no longer seems a burden. You may find there’s not enough time to do what you love. That’s Kairos.

The gift of time is what life offers.

What we do with it is our choice, to use it wisely or to waste it needlessly. I didn’t understand this as deeply as I do now after months of avoiding crowds, wearing a mask when I go out, spending more time than I usually do indoors.

I choose to use time wisely. I’m reading books I delayed reading before, some classics I feared would have taken months to complete. I’m also reading more British detective series now that I don’t worry about not having enough time to fit them into a busy schedule. And I write more, too. I’ve just finished a new manuscript of poems I’ve written over the years.

There are days when Chronos still rules my life. Time drags on and I look for something to do or somewhere to be. If I am aware of Kairos though, I don’t fret about life but take a moment to cherish it, sometimes with a walk or sitting quietly listening to music.

I am a human being after all, not a human doing.

I am learning not to squander or spend time unwisely, but use it wisely for that is the stuff of life. Spend enough days wisely and you live well over a lifetime.