August Rush

Time has this rude habit of running out on a person.  The older I get, there seems to be less of it to go around. 

This thing all things devours; Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds had stones to meal; slays king, ruins town, And beats mountain down- J. R. R. Tolkein (The Hobbit).

It is one of our most valuable commodities, yet we live as though there is an unlimited supply of it. We forget that irretrievable moments are attached to those seconds, that keep slipping away. 

There is the flip-side, where we are so focused on getting through the endless list of things we have to do within a limited time-frame.  We neglect to do the other things that do not fall on the list.  Those things may be the difference between a great mood or a miserable one. 

We are chasing a lead, and time has a head-start.  The unfair disadvantage is that we are left with the consequences of rushed decisions. 

If mastering time-management is part of adulthood then I am failing dismally.  I have developed a bad habit of scheduling time with my friends and then bailing on them to complete other tasks. 

The horror is knowing about these tasks well in advance and then delaying them to the point where the time dedicated to them runs over to parts scheduled for things of "lesser" importance.  Those "things" often happen to be people. 

It must be because negotiations are welcome with people.  They are always open to hearing excuses and they seem to understand, well at least they pretend to.  Tasks are different.  If they are not completed then they just haunt until they finally get done. 

So with the eighth month of the year entering its final week, people start re-examining the year's resolutions.  These reflections are useful for restructuring and addressing management issues. 

Living towards deadlines is never ideal.  But it is so easy to get caught in that trap.  Once a task is completed, the next one automatically springs up.  We become so self-consumed in this race.  What is the point?  What is the point of trimming the hedge when no one smells the roses?  What is the point of having friends when there is no time set aside to see them?

Living rushed lives means we live past each other.  We neglect the things that add quality to life and we are left with regrets about wasted time.