I Ain’t Got No Time!

I Ain’t Got No Time!

© Allen Merritt (2017)

A couple years back I remember a viral video for which a woman conveyed the sentiment, “I ain’t got no time for that!” For some reason this came to mind as I was reading a couple of chapters from (interestingly enough) two completely different books speaking to the idea of “time” and recognizing the importance of “now.”  Both highlighted the idea that time is nothing more than a mental construct and the only reference we truly can experience effectively is…you got it...”now.”

I can even hear this preamble rumbling through lyrics of that old song exclaiming, “I ain’t got, got, got no time.”

Why is this important? Because when we forget about the time factor and focus on what we are doing in the moment we lose sight that time existed in the first place. We simply enjoy and ‘be’. There isn’t any need to measure this moment compared to any other.

Many years ago I took a sabbatical from life and headed to Africa. I carried a pup tent, the complete works of Kahlil Gibran and a small jar of peanut butter with crackers. The reason I mention it here relates to this idea of time because during that trip in May of 1994 two life changing moments come to mind right away. One is when you take a trip outside of the world as you know if for any length of time and you find yourself in the middle of wilderness, time ceases to exist except in the “now.”  This was extremely significant because I remember removing my watch and attaching it to my belt loop, because the sun was so intense it was leaving the equivalent of a farmers tan around my wrist. This is profound in that I have never worn a watch since. Not only that, when you are out in the middle of nowhere for a month you have got nothing but time on your hands; time to observe, reflect, explore, discover, think and, of course, to be. 

Secondly, I gave up eating meat of any kind during that trip. I got rid of the physical representation of time on my wrist and I got rid of meat. To this day I do not wear a watch or eat meat. As the video ascertains, I guess I still don’t have time for that, any of it.  That is not to say that time does not exist on some level or is unimportant to our lives as we really do know it, but it does say that time in and of itself is not as important as the life we choose to live in the moment. It is all about our priorities.

In constantly discussing positivity and remembering to indulge in as many opportunities as possible to stay in the positive mindset, I thought it prevalent to discuss time here, especially considering how it consumes so much of us in the everyday here and now.

Here are some familiar sayings that should ring some kind of bell for you:

There is not enough time in a day!

Only time will tell!

Time and time again…

When do we want it? Right Now!

If only I had a time machine.

Time’s a wasting.

The clock is ticking.

We think and incorporate the idea of time all the time. I am sure the aforementioned phrases conjure up some memories for everyone. I challenge you to ponder what comes up in your heart and mind when thinking about them and then exploring them further.

Cindy Lauper had a hit called Time After Time.  Consider the following lyric from the song and then ask yourself whether or not the person making the statement is continuously stuck in the same place or living only in the moment.

“If you’re lost and you look then you will find me, time after time.”

Even the idea of “just in time” on the manufacturing floor primarily refers to the proverbial “now” and not to the time referendum.

Time in and of itself appears to place people in a rut and cause a ruckus even if you feel they have too much of it. Time either goes too fast, too slow and on occasion appears to be just right, but overall time is like everything else in life and it keeps on moving, changing and remains none the same yesterday, today or tomorrow (which never comes, right?).

To feel all the wonders of life, loving and living that many of us endeavor to indulge ourselves in (joy, peace, harmony, happiness, etal) we must discard trying to find this thing called “time.” Whatever else there is for us to live up to or into winds up being the “now,” which is mathematically a constant. It always is and as soon as it is it is no more and on it goes.

Maybe the truest form of time is the idea of “timeless” where there is less of this illusive time.

In taking this into account, I feel the ‘now’ is linked with everything positive, which I consider the best state of being and the ultimate state of mind.

Some might even suggest there is no such thing as positive or negative, only our response or reaction to the ‘now’. That may be a conversation for another day, but nevertheless such thinking takes us down a path which allows all us of to know this moment fully and in that we discover more of ourselves, as well as what makes us live in a state of well being beyond our wildest imagination. 

So as I throw this paint of words at you this week, may it stir up something to think about toward enjoying the here and now. That is if you got the time for it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxwbhkDjZM

Have a great week living life on a positive note.

Cheers!