Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Share Your Time With Another

By Jonathan Dunnemann

How much time do I have? Let's face it, there will never be enough time for any of us. That is because we are all given a limited amount of time in the world. Though some of us may be granted more time than others it is never truly about how much time we actually have. Rather, the challenge is to live well within the time that we are granted.

Lately, I am finding that everything around me appears to be moving faster. Contrastingly, I am taking longer to get myself together at the start of each day, to merge this vessel into the usual hustle and bustle, and then ultimately to find my groove.

This, I do not believe can be attributed to any sort of muscular atrophy of hope, ideas or cognitive motivation. Still, the once spry physical structure which in past years aided me in my efforts to find a way around the craziest and most dangerous twists and turns of what is often an irregular life has unquestionably become less adaptable, durable, and responsive.  

What this suggests to me, is that I would be far better served now to place my trust in the safety of being deliberate. Here, I am not referring to the awkward deliberateness like that of a toddler when they are first learning to climb, walk or run. 

No, what I am attempting to describe can readily be seen in the deliberate mechanics of the North American Whooping Crane with its long neck being kept straight and their long dark legs often trailing behind as it initially labors in taking flight. To the onlooker, it does not look like this bird will ever be capable of getting very high off the ground. 

Unlike you or I as a bird watcher, this bird knows and continues to believe in what is possible. For it has gained mastery over how to get the utmost out of all that it is. It is also fashioned into a survivor. This is a good example of how in life when an animal or a person is found to be functioning with a sense of ordering, with the right amount of effort, and an embedded confidence that even a clumsy looking bird or you or I can continue to sore through the air with the "best of breed".

Like a North American Whooping Crane, I know all too well that in a race to be out there, front and center, such a challenge is most likely to be won by the younger, stronger, and possibly more daring craneling. However, I also am aware that there will always be a need for someone willing like me to share both their experience and some of their time with another who has yet to take flight. 


No comments:

Post a Comment