Wordy Wednesday: one of my favorite poems...

Tonight, I could blog about business or my career journey or being a mother. But I'm tired and I have so much to do. And I want to take a nice "poetry break" over hot tea.

The following verse, entitled "Burnt Norton," is the introduction of the first section of the Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot. It always reminds me to treasure time because it is "eternally present" and "unredeemable." I don't want to look back and wonder "what might have been."

Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.

(Photo by: yugoQ)

"Many a false step was made by standing still." - Fortune Cookie

Time is my most prized and precious commodity - and I strive to protect it vehemently.

I often analyze the minutes that make up my day and scrutinize the value of my activities. Am I investing in what matters most? Am I living life fully? Am I giving my heart, soul, and mind appropriately?

These questions are probably what prompt me to not watch TV and to not attend home sales parties (think: gold canyon, mary kay, etc.). These same questions remind me to play with my baby, to hang out with my husband, and to write thank you notes.

I've been browsing through Timothy Ferriss' The 4-Hour Workweek over the past few days. Although I don't necessarily agree with his entire outlook on life, his experiences intrigue me because he has managed to pack so much into his not-yet-thirty years. He's traveled the world, started several companies, danced tango professionally, published a NY Times best seller, and learned multiple languages. This "do it now" attitude speaks to me. I totally understand that passion, that spark, that fire - and I want to embrace it.

I remember 9/11

I had gone to work before 6 a.m. I walked from work to an early morning class on Northern Arizona University's campus in Flagstaff, Arizona. I walked in and noticed the hallways were crowded. Some people were crying. Others looked shocked, white, silent. The TVs were on. I asked what was going on. "You haven't heard?", no one in particular said in an echoey tone. I looked at the TV...goosebumps...chills...fear...Tim.

I called Tim - he was still in bed. "Turn on the TV." He did. Silence. Eyes watering. I couldn't believe it. Then, the second plane collided. The images. The smoke. The people running, crying, wailing, wondering.

I walked into my philosophy class. The professor turned off the TV. He said we'd go on with class as usual. He lectured on Aristotle or Socrates - something that I couldn't pay attention to, something I knew I wouldn't remember. Something about it felt wrong - us sitting there, listening to the Ph.D. orate about things that didn't matter.

After class. Headed to our little apartment in married housing. Hugged Tim. Called family. Tried to think about if we knew anyone in NY.

Stories began to circulate. Todd Beamer. Let's roll. Sacrifice. Pregnant wives and little children and husbands left behind.

I'll never forget. The smoke. The tightness. The courage.

(Photo by: wallyg)

the stuff of life

“Time is life. It is irreversible and irreplaceable. To waste your time is to waste your life, but to master your time is to master your life and make the most of it.” (Alan LaKein, Time Management Consultant)

My husband and I decided tonight that it's about time for us to write out our goals again. We usually go on a little "goals retreat" every six months - or, at a minimum, every year. And we ask ourselves, "where are we heading?""Who am I now and who do I want to become?" "Where do I want to be in five years, ten years, and beyond?"

Then, we discuss and debate and probe and cross out and re-write. Until our goals are there. On paper. Living.

Then, we move toward them.

(Photo by: slack12)

The Clock is Ticking

Time.
You can't stop it.
You can't even slow it.
It marches on with stubborn persistence.
It races toward the finish line with narrow-minded determination.
It zooms by at shockingly high speeds, bypassing the young and old.

And I am panting, trying to catch up.

A Life Without Regret

"I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life, and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived." -Henry David Thoreau

The great poets have always spoken to my soul. Often, they reach back from the past to remind me to live life fully. "Carpe Diem. Seize the Day." They whisper.

Life is short - and it flashes by me with ever-increasing speed. Lord, help me to remember to cherish each moment.