Not enough time in Daydreaming on the Porch
- Aug. 3, 2021, 7:30 a.m.
- |
- Public
I am impatient these days: there is not time enough in this one llife. I need more lives; I have made plans already for three or four. I could easily expand to ten or twenty, all full-flavored, ardent, interesting. Full of curiosity! Looking into the sciences one after another, traveling to unexplored places, not only geographical, but psychological, social, economic; reading all the good books I do not yet know, and in all the languages; meeting every interesting human being then alive and with leisure — with leisure!– to know, to talk, to love, And to write! Time to write, and having written, to rewrite. I have enjoyed this earth; the only flaw is that my time here is too short.
David Grayson, “Under My Elm”
Ah, how true indeed, this passage from one of my favorite writers, the inestimable David Grayson, author of “Adventures in Contentment,” Adventures in Friendship,” and “The Friendly Road.” I first read his work 25 years ago after a very difficult period in my life when I was returning to some sense of normalcy with a new job and new apartment. His moving words in those books transported me to a realm of peace and inner contentment I have never forgotten. I can’t quite explain it as the effects of the books were so deeply personal.
I can relate so much to what he says above. I look at all my hundreds of unread books lining bookshelves and stacked on the floor and realize that I, too, would need more lives to accomplish all the reading I want to do. In years pastI had even less time than most people I know because when I was home from work all my time was taken up being on call or alert to my mother’s needs and wants as her caregiver. It never ended until bedtime at 10:15 or so. After supper I tried to read a bit on the sofa in the living room, but my attention was quickly lost when I heard my name called yet again.
So, I feel time is even more precious than ever now, especially since I have so little of it to devote purely to my books, for example. And even if I did have more time, I sometimes wonder if I would be able to resolve to use that time in the best way possible. Unfortunately, even late at night I am distracted by trivial things on the Internet or become lost in surfing and skimming numerous articles, most of which I forget as soon as I have read them.
And, like the author, I think of all the traveling I could do and all the interesting people I could meet on those travels. I want to gain that desire to travel and explore now that I am retired and no longer caregiving.
But who can even think of the future, really? At my age now, I often find myself marveling at all I have packed into this life I have lived thus far. I have been blessed to have had a number of interesting jobs at which I have met and known some of the most fascinating and memorable people. True, the time I knew them was short, but I remember and think about them even today, 30 or 40 years later. I guess this is the kind of thing one contemplates after a certain age and when you have more time to think and write. People say “Don’t get stuck in the past.” To which I reply, “I AM my past.” Not revisiting it frequently is unthinkable. The past is a huge repository of memories. In the present I am creating new memories, most of which are lost as quickly as new experiences take their place as brief moments in time.
The encouraging thing for me is to realize that I am still as vitally curious about life and people as ever. I don’t foresee this ever changing. As a former journalist and teacher, and now as a writer and photographer in my spare time, I have always been interested in learning, writing about what I have learned, and photographing the world around me. The hundreds of interviews I conducted during my newspaper days which ended in 1991 — those alone constituted an education in and of itself as did the half dozen solo round-trips by car across the country and the years spent in graduate school.
Life is an endless series of learning opportunities. My last career/job from which I retired in 2017 after 23 years involved constantly retrieving information by way of the computer and digital technologies that have so rapidly changed our world in the last two decades.
I can truly say that I am swamped with unending opportunities to learn each day. Thus, I should be content with whatever I can learn, savor, and enjoy in the days I have left, and which now pass so rapidly. But, like David Grayson, I feel time is short, especially since I have already lived what to me has been a good long life already.
Last updated August 03, 2021
ODSago ⋅ August 03, 2021
Well stated. When I think along those lines, I'm really grateful for a richly experienced past and so thankful to those who traveled with me, however short a time or long. I find it reassuring...yes, I lived, and I can live even longer because I observe that I know how to do it, do life.
Oswego ODSago ⋅ August 03, 2021
Yes, yes.. that is a key blessing and advantage of old age. For better or worse, we have learned how to “do” life, and so the remainder of life is, or can be, richer and more satisfying than we ever thought possible.
ODSago Oswego ⋅ August 20, 2021
I knew you would agree...we share a lot of personality traits I think.
gypsy spirit ⋅ August 03, 2021
its is true that we continue to learn until our last breath.
That quoted sequence from David Grayson's book is wonderful...made me smile and nod too. I must seek out his books as have never read one but he sounds like my kind of writer.
Life and time are apparently relative to how old we are at any given time. It certainly reduces as we age. Someone once explained to me the scientific explanation for it using math and it makes sense, but I can't remember the details now, I am too old... lol I hope you continue to learn and experience as much as you can. I believe you will. p
Oswego gypsy spirit ⋅ August 03, 2021
I think you will really like his writing. So many life lessons, too, from a truly wise man.
ConnieK ⋅ August 03, 2021
I think we all feel that urgency of time running out. It happens around age 50 or so. There is always more to learn but many don't bother, which always surprises me. I always have numerous projects going. :)
Oswego ConnieK ⋅ August 03, 2021
Makes life SO much more interesting and fulfilling! 😌
MageB ⋅ August 04, 2021
Yes, books. I am so grateful for my books.
Marg ⋅ August 06, 2021
Yes! I’ve never understood that whole ‘the past is another country’ thing either. The past is how we got here :) And you never know - maybe reincarnation exists so you’ll get more lifetimes to do All The Things! :)
Oswego Marg ⋅ August 07, 2021
Oh my!! Who shall I come back as? Hmmm
Marg Oswego ⋅ August 07, 2021
I’m not sure there’s a choice …. :)
I think if I come back as a cat I’ll know I’ve reached the pinnacle of life :)
gypsy spirit ⋅ August 09, 2021
Hello my friend, I received this email today from my library and thought I'd mention to you the content. Its a pity but thanks to you I can now discover interesting thoughts about David Grayson via the internet at least. Cheers p
Dear Polly
Thank you for your interloan request for “Adventures in friendship” by David Grayson.
Unfortunately the only copy now held of this title is at the University of Otago and it is a non-circulating/ reference only item that cannot be borrowed via inter-library loan. This copy can only be used in their library.
As there are now no other copies of this title in New Zealand libraries we are unable to interloan it for you.
Our apologies for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Trudy
Oswego gypsy spirit ⋅ August 09, 2021
I’m sorry and somewhat surprised you could n’t get the book through Interlibrary Loan. You can get all of his books free on Project Gutenberg . The link is below.
Take care, my friend.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=David+Grayson&submit_search=Search
gypsy spirit Oswego ⋅ August 09, 2021
thank you. p