Daily Mood Quote
Day 134 – September 14, 2011
“What comes first, the compass or the clock? Before one can truly manage time (the clock), it is important to know where you are going, what your priorities and goals are, in which direction you are headed (the compass). Where you are headed is more important than how fast you are going. Rather than always focusing on what's urgent, learn to focus on what is really important.”
~Unknown Author
In the movie 2012, Harry Helmsley (played by Blu Mankuma) said to his friend Tony Delgatto (George Segal), “I barely see my boy, but at least we talk.” and when asked by Tony, “what about” Harry replied, “Life, and how short it is.” Life is short, or it goes really fast after you turn 40 (for me anyway) and we get so caught up in the urgent of the minute, of the hour, of the day, that we can forget what the truly important things are. We can lose our bearing in a hurry if we are always “in a hurry.”
Several years ago, I helped set up a funeral for a sixteen year old boy who was killed in an automobile accident, I don't know the specifics of the accident, or if speed played a part in the death of this young man. What I noticed and heard was an awful lot of people wishing they would have “taken time to”... do this, or say that with the young man while he was alive. That opportunity has now been lost, forever. Here's the thing, the chance for those things to happen may have gone by, but the lessons still remain; if we can only remember what Kelly Catlin Walker said, “ Never let the urgent crowd out the important.” Everybody has a different idea of what important is, but I guarantee you, that most “urgent” things we deal with are not as important as taking the time to live fully in the moment and connect with the people we cherish.
The “Urgent” has a way of making us do rash and foolish things sometimes. I use it as a noun here, because it too often becomes a leader and the goal setter in our lives. Here a funny story, the other day my husband and I were coming home from the supermarket and doing the speed limit, 55 miles per hour. Plenty fast enough! This woman in her pricey SUV (read Mercedes) immediately drove up within inches of my husband's bumper, failing her arms in the air trying to get him to go faster... By the way who on earth buys an “off road” car that you would be terrified to get dirty? Anyway, here's the kicker we were in the right lane, the passing lane was open and just a short way down the road the light had just changed to red. What's the purpose of this behavior? Rushing to a red light? By the way, the red light was in front of a police station. Anyway, frustrated with my husband's reasonable driving, the woman finally passed us, throwing my husband, the “flying finger of fate” award. She had to be in her fifties, at least, and such undignified behavior, I mean really? What an honor!!! Then she braked suddenly for the red light, as we cruised on by; the change of the light perfectly timed. It just took at little forward vision to see that “urgent” was a waste of time, energy and fuel.
Back to the question, what was so “Urgent” in everyday life that you have to tailgate someone, risking accident and injury, rushing to a red stop light? I think its because people sometimes fail to look down the road (in life and metaphorically) a little way. Everything is “must have,” “must do” must be there... NOW! Well, what do we have to show for that, as we blast past life’s important moments (hint: they are all important) and those who are important to us, on the way to something “Urgent?”And when we get there, another Urgent thing has got us chasing it. It's a powerful and elusive addiction, “the Urgent.” To quote Karl played by John Mahon in the movie Armageddon “She's a vicious life-sucking bitch from which there is no escape.” It's never satisfied and always just ahead of us.
Everyday, I take the time to hug, talk with and kiss my kids before they go off to school. A very dear friend of mine, also, lost her teenage son in a car accident and the lesson I learned from her: Take the time with your loved one first, because you never know when its the last time you'll see them. Don't take anything for granted and never put off until later, the important things that you can do right now. Make the time, take the time and follow your life's “compass” not the Urgent.
Will you look past the “Urgent” today”
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading
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