The Elasticity of Time

It has happened once more. The time seems to stretch out in front of me. I am not panicked. Everything seems doable. And then,

SNAP!!!!

The time might have been stretching out there....much like a rubber band. And now someone let go and, Whoa!!! What happened. All the sudden days went to hours, and time is in compression. The to-do list far exceeds the time allotment. I am like a stressed out designer on Project Runway, as Tim Gunn is telling them they have one hour left "to finish their garments, and get their models to hair and make-up." "Make it work!" he exclaims.....and they are missing the skirt, or pants, or some important part of the outfit. You can literally read the panic on their face. "I am going home" it says.

Well, so far, no model has walked that runway half dressed. A few things have been glued and pinned together and sent down that runway with a prayer. But no one has been half dressed.

Things will get done. And some things won't. As I drove back from dropping my kids off for their afternoon class, and the list was cycling through my head, over and over again....how can I make this happen. It occurred to me.

I couldn't. But it was okay. I had the essentials together.

Pare back and breathe. Let the most important things come to the forefront.

Laundry. Packing. Finishing up the presentation. If I don't bring a single thing to sell, it would be fine. It is not the reason I am going to the National Polymer Clay Guild, Synergy Conference. It is an opportunity to spend time with other artists, and to give a presentation. Those are the things that matter. If I try to cram ten zillion other things into the next 18 hours, I will make myself and everyone around me insane. Not worth it. None of it would make as much of a difference to my experience as spending a bit more time on refining my presentation.

Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in the possibilities. Perhaps it is a hang over from Girl Scouts. Being prepared. Not disappointing anyone. But the price of that sometimes is a high degree of stress, and a lack of focus on what really matters.

Now, I can fit in that workout tonight before I go. Maybe, when I leave the house tomorrow, everyone won't be breathing a sigh of relief that I am gone!

The thing about rubber bands is when they are relaxed, they are more flexible. So, now that the tension is out of that rubber band of time, and everything is shorter, it is time for some of that flexibility. Time to let go of the things that don't matter.

Writing this blog. Completely optional. But when I have learned a lesson as important as the one I am learning today, I like to share. I hope it helps someone else.

Now, I have some packing to do.

Hope to post from Baltimore.