Paul Graham: "The saddest windows close when other people die."
I experienced that sadness when my mother passed away last month.
"I lived as if she'd always be there. And in her typical quiet way she encouraged that illusion. But an illusion it was." I wish others won't make these same mistakes as I did.
When you want to do something or say something to your loved ones, do it now. Don't wait for the next day, or next week, or next time. We're all getting older and time is not slowing down for us.
I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Yi. What you said is so true and I wish we would all and always remember it. I've started saying "I love you" to my best friends... I didn't use to. But I'm thinking, I should tell them that I love them before it's too late.
I love these quotes and will be checking out these books. Efficiency is indeed a plague on our psyches, and how true that "free time" is a construct. Time is the only real currency we have and money is merely a way of measuring how much life we have exchanged for something.
"Idleness so called, which does not consist in doing nothing, but in doing a great deal not recognized in the dogmatic formularies of the ruling class, has as good a right to state its position as industry itself." - Robert Louis Stevenson "An Apology for Idlers"
Thank you for this. I have now added Do Nothing to my "want to read" list.
I think many women have become queens of efficiency. Right down to figuring out how to bring in ALL the bags of groceries in one trip because it saves times. But really, what does it mean to "save time"...isn't time something that just goes on no matter what? Is it really something we "spend"? I think there are times in my life that I have "endured" and other times in my life that I have "enjoyed" and yet other times in my life that I have "suffered". Seems to me, time is something that we FEEL, not that we spend.
Ooooh, I love what you're saying about time not something spent but rather experienced or felt. This is certainly adding another layer to my continuing study of my relationship with time. Thank you! And by the way, we do try to bring all the groceries in one trip, don't we?!? 😂
As a writer, the section about cycles of creation resonated deeply. I've often felt guilty during 'fallow' periods, but maybe they're essential for the next burst of inspiration. It's liberating to think that creativity isn't always linear or optimizable. I'm going to embrace the ebb and flow, trusting that the ideas will come when they're ready.
Something I'm trying to reconcile or get comfortable with is balancing the discipline of "writing everyday" with the natural rhythm of creation... separating the act of writing from the creative (publishable) result. I'm not entirely there yet, as there's still a story in my head about productivity!
Finding that balance might be difficult! It has been for me. I’ve just been focused on being kind to myself when I don’t write daily. Because it just wasn’t in the cards… and that is okay!
Paul Graham: "The saddest windows close when other people die."
I experienced that sadness when my mother passed away last month.
"I lived as if she'd always be there. And in her typical quiet way she encouraged that illusion. But an illusion it was." I wish others won't make these same mistakes as I did.
When you want to do something or say something to your loved ones, do it now. Don't wait for the next day, or next week, or next time. We're all getting older and time is not slowing down for us.
I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Yi. What you said is so true and I wish we would all and always remember it. I've started saying "I love you" to my best friends... I didn't use to. But I'm thinking, I should tell them that I love them before it's too late.
I love these quotes and will be checking out these books. Efficiency is indeed a plague on our psyches, and how true that "free time" is a construct. Time is the only real currency we have and money is merely a way of measuring how much life we have exchanged for something.
We really need to reframe our ideation of time, right? Cheers, Christina!
A great collection of time quotes! ⏰ As you know, I wrote about my relationship with time, so this is a subject I find endlessly fascinating. 🙂
You know, as I think about it, it may have been your article that started me re-thinking about my relationship with time! 😊
🥰🥰🥰
"Idleness so called, which does not consist in doing nothing, but in doing a great deal not recognized in the dogmatic formularies of the ruling class, has as good a right to state its position as industry itself." - Robert Louis Stevenson "An Apology for Idlers"
Thank you for this. I have now added Do Nothing to my "want to read" list.
I think many women have become queens of efficiency. Right down to figuring out how to bring in ALL the bags of groceries in one trip because it saves times. But really, what does it mean to "save time"...isn't time something that just goes on no matter what? Is it really something we "spend"? I think there are times in my life that I have "endured" and other times in my life that I have "enjoyed" and yet other times in my life that I have "suffered". Seems to me, time is something that we FEEL, not that we spend.
Ooooh, I love what you're saying about time not something spent but rather experienced or felt. This is certainly adding another layer to my continuing study of my relationship with time. Thank you! And by the way, we do try to bring all the groceries in one trip, don't we?!? 😂
As a writer, the section about cycles of creation resonated deeply. I've often felt guilty during 'fallow' periods, but maybe they're essential for the next burst of inspiration. It's liberating to think that creativity isn't always linear or optimizable. I'm going to embrace the ebb and flow, trusting that the ideas will come when they're ready.
Something I'm trying to reconcile or get comfortable with is balancing the discipline of "writing everyday" with the natural rhythm of creation... separating the act of writing from the creative (publishable) result. I'm not entirely there yet, as there's still a story in my head about productivity!
Finding that balance might be difficult! It has been for me. I’ve just been focused on being kind to myself when I don’t write daily. Because it just wasn’t in the cards… and that is okay!
Thanks for all these resources, time is certainly a commodity and anything to enjoy life and avoid being time poor 💜
Indeed, Tanya! Cheers, Lou
Always love your essays Lou. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers Matthew!