The Busy Business

"I'm so busy that ..."  It's a great excuse for not doing something. When someone complains such to me, I want to say "Yes, you're too busy to ... because you don't want to". I had a friend, a close one, who, when he e mailed me, began or ended with a series of all the things he had to do that day which he thought would satisfy as a reason for not being able to either visit or communicate more than a few meaningless words.  If he had said simply, "Nah, I don't want to" that would have been honest, at least. There are people who are, indeed, crazy-busy but I don't know any of that sort. In fact, I wouldn't want to. There is a phenomenon in our mad, mad world now, that wants to speed us up to a pace that is unnatural. A cousin of mine revealed that she had been speaking with another relative and they noted that I walked very slowly. It wasn't said unkindly. Slowly? I tested myself and found that my pace was normal. Theirs must have been the presently-required dash-about kind of speed. It's true that I am inclined to stroll rather than pound the sidewalks and store aisles, taking instantaneous glances at it all. That's not for me. I enjoy seeing what's around me and listening to the sounds and taking in the colour and very nature of my environment, and I can't do that unless I tarry here and there or sit a bit and absorb what's going on around me. I suppose that's one of the joys of my age and stage: over the hill of some kind and retired. I don't need to rush. When a store clerk apologises for a wait, I smile and tell that person, "It's fine, I have all the time in the world". We all have "all the time in the world". Time is at our command. We can still meet deadlines but at our own pace. If I had to do the work world again, I would do it at my pace and get it done, nevertheless. The secret is to set your pace until you find the one that is just right for you. Contemplation is one of the perks of slowing down a bit. Small decisions are what make up a task to be accomplished, and these seemingly insignificant moments should be taken with care and thought. Too often I am accosted by a youngster and it speaks so quickly that I can barely understand what is being said. The words are ejected like verbal machine gun pellets. Perhaps it is a carry-over from their thumbs that are whizzing away on tiny screen keyboards of hand-held devices at a reckless pace. Most of what goes onto those tiny screens is a sheer waste of time. It's time taken up for no apparent reason, but youngsters can't seem to survive without their detritus of inane verbiage that is supposed to keep them "in the loop". They are "busy doing nothing" as the song goes. But, hey, that's their choice. And I suppose, I am one of those busy-doing-nothing kinds as I peer into shop windows at odd items, gaze up into trees to find a song bird or simply hang over a railing and stare out at the ocean with its peace and ever changing, never ending  movement. It seems very busy but in a perfect way. There is a movie title I love, "Stop The World I Want To Get Off". I often want to do that but the world won't allow it, therefore, I stroll. Too busy? Never.