Who Has The Time?
I ordered some contacts over the phone the other day. The lady on the phone was a very friendly and bubbly person. After she processed my contact lens order, we continued to chat for a while.
She tells me she is 52 years old and has 4 children. Her oldest child is 29 years old. She is already a grandmother! I am quite surprised because she sounds so energetic and youthful over the phone. She continues to tell me that this has not always been the case. Up till the age of 47, she was always very weak and sickly. She took dozens of medical tests, but nobody could tell her what was wrong with her. Finally, a scan showed that there was a hole in the wall of her heart. She was not getting enough oxygen in her blood.
After undergoing a surgery to mend the hole in her heart, she feels much better. Her husband suggests that they take up some exercise together to get in shape. The two of them started running. They started with a 5K, and then a 10K . . . By now, she has run more than a dozen half marathons. She is training to run a full marathon soon. Mind you, five years ago, she was still plagued by perennial fatigue!
Many people admire how fit and youthful she is. "They always say they wish they could be like me." Yet, when she invites them to run with her, their response is always "I don't have time." "What I have is the result of a lot of work over a period of time," the contacts lady keeps saying to me. "Everybody wants it easy and they want instant results. There is no such a thing!"
"Many people think once they "get there" they can stop and return to lounging on the couch. No!!! This is life-long process. It never ends. You don't use it, you lose it. I have lied in bed for long enough. I'd rather be running for the rest of my life. I will never go back!"
I cannot agree more. I, myself, have my own struggles with health. However, I insist on living as normally as possible -- to the extent that, once, a physical therapist refused to treat me because I looked too happy and healthy to be a pain patient. I could do absolutely every task on their patient questionnaire. How could I be needing help???
I always believe that, if one wants something enough, you will find ways of making it happen. Despite my pain, I continue to practice aikido, take tap lessons, carve wood and work in the garden. It all takes time and determination. People always tell me they wish they could do what I do. They always ask how I have such time because they don't.
Recently, I watched a TED Talk on time management. As the speaker points out: Don't you say you don't have time. Everybody has 24 hours in a day. Everybody has the same amount of time. It is a matter of how you allocate your time and how you set your priorities. If something matters enough to you, make it a priority. Sure you will find time and get it done. There is absolutely no excuse.
She tells me she is 52 years old and has 4 children. Her oldest child is 29 years old. She is already a grandmother! I am quite surprised because she sounds so energetic and youthful over the phone. She continues to tell me that this has not always been the case. Up till the age of 47, she was always very weak and sickly. She took dozens of medical tests, but nobody could tell her what was wrong with her. Finally, a scan showed that there was a hole in the wall of her heart. She was not getting enough oxygen in her blood.
After undergoing a surgery to mend the hole in her heart, she feels much better. Her husband suggests that they take up some exercise together to get in shape. The two of them started running. They started with a 5K, and then a 10K . . . By now, she has run more than a dozen half marathons. She is training to run a full marathon soon. Mind you, five years ago, she was still plagued by perennial fatigue!
Many people admire how fit and youthful she is. "They always say they wish they could be like me." Yet, when she invites them to run with her, their response is always "I don't have time." "What I have is the result of a lot of work over a period of time," the contacts lady keeps saying to me. "Everybody wants it easy and they want instant results. There is no such a thing!"
"Many people think once they "get there" they can stop and return to lounging on the couch. No!!! This is life-long process. It never ends. You don't use it, you lose it. I have lied in bed for long enough. I'd rather be running for the rest of my life. I will never go back!"
I cannot agree more. I, myself, have my own struggles with health. However, I insist on living as normally as possible -- to the extent that, once, a physical therapist refused to treat me because I looked too happy and healthy to be a pain patient. I could do absolutely every task on their patient questionnaire. How could I be needing help???
I always believe that, if one wants something enough, you will find ways of making it happen. Despite my pain, I continue to practice aikido, take tap lessons, carve wood and work in the garden. It all takes time and determination. People always tell me they wish they could do what I do. They always ask how I have such time because they don't.
Recently, I watched a TED Talk on time management. As the speaker points out: Don't you say you don't have time. Everybody has 24 hours in a day. Everybody has the same amount of time. It is a matter of how you allocate your time and how you set your priorities. If something matters enough to you, make it a priority. Sure you will find time and get it done. There is absolutely no excuse.
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