Chamber Window - July 6, 2008

By Phyllis Snodgrass
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce

July 05, 2008 02:33 pm

— Sometimes you just have to leave town! As I wrapped up busy work week, turned off the cell phone and loaded four teenagers into a car for a trip to Port Aransas last weekend, I found myself ready for the “escape.” And as I rushed about getting this thing done or that report completed, I wondered to myself, how will I get it all done? Can I really afford to go away? Can I afford to take this time? On the way to the beach, I found myself calling the office twice, checking for messages and I started a to-do list to work on when I arrived back home. We get so wrapped up in all the important things that we are doing, and it can be difficult to shut it down.
And then I arrived at Port A. The smells of sand and surf, the ocean breeze and the slower pace began to take their toll on my psyche.
By the time I got to the water’s edge the work world started to feel very far away. Standing on the beach, looking out at the vast Gulf and fathoming my own smallness — in the face of all that majesty — it began to dawn on me, that maybe, just maybe, the world could actually live without me for a few days.
So I turned the phone back off (yes, for the entire weekend!) and stepped into “island time.” No shoes, no clocks, no schedules. And it felt good. Really good.
Why is it that we think we are so indispensable? We do projects ourselves rather than farm them out to someone else, because we think that we can do them better. And as a result, we spend far too much time sitting behind our desks. And not enough time standing at the water’s edge.
Whether it’s time for yourself, time with your spouse, your children, your friends or time spent on your hobbies and interest — make it a priority to find some time to get away. The work we do is important, and things of importance do happen because of our leadership and dedication to our work and the causes we support. Be if we are not careful, our calendars will get so filled with “important work,” that we will not find the time to spend on ourselves. To borrow a quote from a dear friend and mentor — “not calendaring your own time into your schedule will suck the marrow from your bones.”
Maybe we cannot put time in a bottle. But we can schedule time for ourselves. Block off that personal time. And don’t let anyone or anything take it away from you. If you must adjust — treat ‘your time” like any other important appointment on your calendar. Reschedule it.
“There never seems to be enough time to do the things we want to do, once we find them.”
Now go have some fun – and have a happy 4th!