I Don’t Have Time To Waste
Growing old is a privilege, not a promise. 🍁 | Finding the Right Words about … the Wait
PROMPT: What does nature teach you about time and patience?
We’re officially in that time of year where people post stuff on Instagram like, “The trees are about to show us how beautiful it is to let things go…” And I get the sentiment. Autumn is the season when we get to witness the evolution of nature in the changing of the leaves. We see the cycle of life play out before our very eyes: what was once blooming and flourishing soon withers and dies only for the cycle to begin again. It’s predictable and unavoidable. Such is life.
But the trees don’t just teach me to let things go. Trees remind me that everything dies, including me. I have limited time. Nature teaches me to appreciate the life I have and to live it while I still can.
Not to be morbid but nature reminds me that death is coming, it's part of life but there is a life to live on the way to that final destination. Time eventually runs out, and I want to live as beautiful of a life as possible in the meantime. Sometimes, taking advantage of the time I have on this planet means not taking my time, not waiting for the perfect moment or for me to feel 100% ready. Not waiting for the right time and instead making the most of my time.
I was listening to my favorite podcast last week, Around The Way Curls. Their guest was author and activist adrienne marie brown and she said something that really got me thinking about how I want to live my life: “Look back at your life from the perspective of your death and that will always help you figure out how you want to spend your energy.”
No one gets out of this life alive.
I hope I have a lot more time and energy left to spend, but in the meantime, I’m grateful for the time I’ve already spent on this planet. A lot of people don’t get the same chance, I know too many who left too soon. Aging is a privilege and growing old is not a promise.
I’m actually very excited to be on my way to becoming an elder, I’m proudly entering my Auntie era! I may get old, but I (hope) won’t become boring and I won’t get complacent. I hope I won’t take this life for granted.
If I look at my life from the perspective of my death, I don’t want to look back and regret the chances I didn’t take. I hope I lived a life I was proud of, one that inspired others, one where I lived my values, a life filled with loving relationships and accomplishments, and seeing and changing the world in whatever way I can.
If that’s the case, I know that in this moment I have to start doing the things I want to say I’ve done by the time I’m in the grave. I have to start living my values. I have to speak my mind, I have put in the effort and put myself out there, I have to be brave and push myself out of my comfort zone. I have to do things now so that one day, I can look back and be proud of what I’ve done. Because that day is going to come. No one gets out of this life alive and no one knows how many leaf-changing seasons they’ll get to see. That’s giving me a sense of urgency.
I dedicated October to writing about “The Wait” because there are a lot of things I’m waiting for, a lot of dreams I’m hoping will come true, and I’m trying to practice patience. But sometimes… ain’t nobody got time for all that! I hope I can discern when it’s necessary to take my time and let nature take its course, and when I need to get a move on and stop waiting and start doing. Because time’s a tickin’, and I’ll only be able to do so much in this little life of mine.
The rest of my life is waiting for me and I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s in store.
This entry was written for week 2 of the Finding The Right Words October Journaling Challenge under the theme of Waiting. Follow along using the prompts above. Write your own journal entry and share it with me!
There’s no wrong way to journal. You just gotta find the right words. Happy Writing!
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Love this! 🤎 I will be using your prompts for journaling. And I LOVE ATWC too!!!!!
I loved this piece ,including the journal prompts, so much! Thanks so much for sharing! I was just thinking about how I would feel if I looked back on my life if this was the end. Being my most authentic self, living out my dreams, while also being patient for the things that haven’t happened yet has been a huge part of my life’s journey the past few years.