Changing Times and... Time

I'm just too busy doing things to stop and enjoy life!

Ever find yourself having thoughts like that go through your head? Ever wonder what you can DO about it?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I continue to explore this pervasive topic of us having less and less time, while it feels like life is moving faster and faster.

Scene one:

When I was a kid in the 1960's and 70's my mother kept house and was at home all the time. Simply "keeping house" pretty much seemed like a full time job.

My dad was an executive at a mid-sized family owned company. Whereas he did work a lot, he left at 8:30 in the morning, and was always home in time for dine, usually before 5:30.

After I left home and started to do my own thing I would still go home and visit my parents from time to time. My mother still kept house and it still pretty much seemed like a full time job. The thing about it was that she always seemed like she was busy and she always seemed like she had something that had to be done.

Scene two:

I started a business back when I was in my 20s; it was an import-export business that also had a retail store attached. Although it was never hugely successful it eventually got to the point where it was making some money and I thought to myself "well, this isn't too bad!"

In a sense you could say it was the closest I ever got to realizing the proverbial "American dream."

At some point I was visited by a couple of gentlemen in suits who were part of an organization that specialized in creating new franchises. They had evidently been watching my little store and thought that this would be a great opportunity to franchise, and they had all sorts of plans for me where I could perhaps have 50 stores within a few years and there was a big song and dance routine involved in pitching that idea.

Regardless, I decided I neither wanted the stress nor the responsibility of running a whole bunch of stores — even if they were being sold off to franchisees — so after looking over their proposals and paperwork I ended up respectfully turning them down.

This was a complete mystery to everybody around me — including the two gentlemen with the franchise idea. Why on earth would I turn down the chance to become a millionaire with lots of stores?

The reason I turned it down was that I had enough and I wasn't really looking to work any more or longer. In a sense, it was quite "un-American" of me...

Scene Three:

Just a few years ago we got Covid-19 "stimulus checks" from the government, here in the US.

Whereas I understood that we were sent this money as some kind of incentive to stimulate the economy on a greater scale, the last thing on my mind was going on a spending spree.

What we in fact did, was to buy supplies and some really good topsoil so that we could expand our home food growing operation, thereby becoming less dependent on the system... a choice that continues to provide benefits, several years later.

Probably not what the government had in mind, however!

Scene Four:

Not so long ago, I was watching one of those "Expert panel discussions" on YouTube, about how we define success and what we strive towards.

I don't actually remember much of the panel discussion... except for one phrase that has been bouncing around my mind, ever since:

"Always striving for MORE isn't necessarily the optimal thing to do, what we really ought to strive for is THE RIGHT AMOUNT."

Which got me to thinking that most people don't even know — or think about — what the right amount is, because they are blinded by the shiny societal "carrot" of always seeking MORE.

Anyway, thinking about these four little vignettes got me to thinking about my own attitudes towards money and success and growth and all these good things.

It also made me think about the true nature of "freedom," at least as I see it and personally define it.

Time is money. And money can buy you time. And if you look at it a little differently, having time is freedom, is actually what freedom is about.

My mom had a certain freedom because the only time consuming thing she did was keep our home.

I had a certain freedom with my business as a single entity, rather than a multi-unit corporation.

There was a freedom in spending those stimulus checks on growing food rather than electronics and fancy housewares.

What matters is choosing the right amount!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Sunday!

How about you? Have you always strived for more? Or are you content with "enough?" Have you actually considered what "enough" looks like? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.07.07 00:40 PDT
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