I was Upstate New York this past weekend and in one word it was lovely. It was just the right amount of time for me to reset myself like an alarm clock. What is the right amount of time to reset? I am not sure. It depends on the situation. Sometimes it’s a day, sometimes a few days, sometime a year. I never actually spent a full year resetting myself. I have dreamt of disappearing for a while and emerging fresh and new. However, I realized this past week, that time really is relative.
I had two separate conversations on the same topic. For one person, a year had gone by and it seemed like yesterday. We all had that feeling. Oh my god, where did a year go??? Yet, in the other conversation, the same year felt like an eternity ago. Was that a year ago??? Then I started thinking about where I was a year ago. I was transitioning out of my old job into my new one, being a matron-of-honor, consulting with my mentor about my theater career. Then I thought about now. And where I am now. I am still at my new job which is far from new (because a year has flown by), an aunt excited for two nephews’ first birthdays, and in pre-production for a few shows this year.
Time is always on my mind to the point of it ruling my life. I have been setting goals with timelines since I was 14. I can give myself a goal with a timeline in no…time. The pros of setting a deadline is that I have achieved many of my dreams within the designated time frame (received my degrees, created my theater company, got my Broadway credit). The cons though is that I feel like I am always chasing… time. So when a desire doesn’t happen right when I want it to, I start to feel anxiety. Then I remind myself that everything happens in it’s own…time.
This week I want you to pick two goals for yourself and set a deadline for them. Remember it’s not the destination but the journey.
Here’s two of my favorite songs about time:
Anthrax’s Time:
Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time:
Malini Singh mcdonald 