Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Tuesday Aug. 23, 2005 - Year 3, Day 156 - do over time
overcast, cool . . 10C with rain predicted . . cool & damp . . mosquitoes are in hiding [yeah!]; provided jackhammers don’t show up, it should be a good calm writing day – with much to do, much to do over
SS birthday today – I hope it is a gorgeous day for you in Vancouver today . . . but even if it is not, you’ll light up any room you enter
my response to JB’s query about the number at the bottom of each musing: you may notice the # declines by 24 each day; I did a calculation a couple of years ago . . how long I would live X days X hours + leap days etc . . came up with a number of hours I have left if I live to 95 as I predict including 8 leap days in 40 years [that's 192 hours] . . .sort of like grains of sand in the hourglass . . they don't seem so important until they start running out; every day I am reminded not so much of how many hours I have left, but of the steady unrelenting pace at which they are disappearing, a reminder to live each day fully & extract all I can from each 24 hour period that goes rushing by
if I read one more quote about ‘life is not a dress rehearsal’ etc. I’m going to gag; life is all about rehearsal . . we need only look around us; sports teams practice, athletes train, musicians & singers rehearse, actors rehearse & do take after take after take; when then, in relationships with anyone . . . why must we get it right the first time
I didn’t get it right the 1st, 2nd or 3rd time . . . or the 10th or 11th time – learning every time I try, succeeding in small ways every time I fail
I was reminded of this last night . . as I rehearse a speech I have to give; noting to myself that it changes a little with each delivery – not just improving through practice but real change as I try out different ideas, different twists on how to explain an idea or make a point
I’ve been wondering – for each of us – how often do we take a stab at something & move on when it doesn’t work out perfectly the first time; be that in personal relationships, a proposal, a job initiative . . . when a do-over would be in order; how many times could we react to a ‘NO’ with ‘that was just a rehearsal, let me try that again !’
the converse . . the tougher one of course would be tell someone who has struck out – ‘don’t go away, try that again . . . half as long . . try that again with some changes . . try that again with the knowledge of how I reacted to your rehearsal . . ‘
try again . .
Mark
342,932SS birthday today – I hope it is a gorgeous day for you in Vancouver today . . . but even if it is not, you’ll light up any room you enter
my response to JB’s query about the number at the bottom of each musing: you may notice the # declines by 24 each day; I did a calculation a couple of years ago . . how long I would live X days X hours + leap days etc . . came up with a number of hours I have left if I live to 95 as I predict including 8 leap days in 40 years [that's 192 hours] . . .sort of like grains of sand in the hourglass . . they don't seem so important until they start running out; every day I am reminded not so much of how many hours I have left, but of the steady unrelenting pace at which they are disappearing, a reminder to live each day fully & extract all I can from each 24 hour period that goes rushing by
if I read one more quote about ‘life is not a dress rehearsal’ etc. I’m going to gag; life is all about rehearsal . . we need only look around us; sports teams practice, athletes train, musicians & singers rehearse, actors rehearse & do take after take after take; when then, in relationships with anyone . . . why must we get it right the first time
I didn’t get it right the 1st, 2nd or 3rd time . . . or the 10th or 11th time – learning every time I try, succeeding in small ways every time I fail
I was reminded of this last night . . as I rehearse a speech I have to give; noting to myself that it changes a little with each delivery – not just improving through practice but real change as I try out different ideas, different twists on how to explain an idea or make a point
I’ve been wondering – for each of us – how often do we take a stab at something & move on when it doesn’t work out perfectly the first time; be that in personal relationships, a proposal, a job initiative . . . when a do-over would be in order; how many times could we react to a ‘NO’ with ‘that was just a rehearsal, let me try that again !’
the converse . . the tougher one of course would be tell someone who has struck out – ‘don’t go away, try that again . . . half as long . . try that again with some changes . . try that again with the knowledge of how I reacted to your rehearsal . . ‘
try again . .
Mark
