A margined life

Time. It's the one thing in the world of which we share an equal amount every day. The one currency in which we're neither rich or poor. The intangible value that ever escapes us. Some of us have been blessed with the prerogative to manage it to our liking more than most. At this point in my life, I'm fortunate to be able to. Although I consider it a great responsibility, I will never take for granted the priviledge I currently possess of managing and using my time at my own discretion. And yet somehow, I still find myself pressed for time.

I doubt I'm the only person who suffers from this self-inflicted syndrome. I know I have no one to blame but myself. For example: if it's 5:30am and I have somewhere to be in three hours, I really and truly believe that I have enough time to squeeze in a workout (1hr 20 minutes), take a shower (30 minutes), scarf breakfast (who wants to scarf breakfast?!), find something to wear, walk the dog, do my hair and makeup (let's just say it takes more than an hour, mk), and leave room for driving time (average is 30 minutes in Texas) plus traffic (at least 10, although I never do). This is how I live my life. BEST possible case scenario? I'm not late to where I'm going, I arrive alive and hopefully speeding ticket free, and my life goes by way faster than it needs to.

In short, I'm learning the value of margin.

Margin is defined as an edge or a border. In a Word document, it's the extra inch on every side. In life, it's the space that allows room to breathe. It's the brink that makes all the difference between falling off a cliff and standing on it. It permits for inevitable hiccups and valuable reflection. It decreases the stress in our lives and improves the quality. It's smelling the roses. To deny yourself the option of doing so is decidedly no way to live.

I'm by no means a fatalist. I'm a firm believer that our lives are direct outcomes of the choices we make, and that if we aren't proud or happy with our life, we can only do something by taking it up with the one person who has the power to change it (ourselves). But as someone with a personality which has a tendency to control, I've had to accept there's few things I have direct influence over in my daily life.

One is my reactions. The other is my time.

So today, I traded a workout and makeup for an extra hour of needed sleep, which I considered an investment not only for the day but for the rest of the week. I watched the Olympics for a record time of five whole minutes while I ate my breakfast. I had time to brew water for tea before I headed out the door. I arrived where I was going on time. It may not sound like THE LIFE, but if the present is the only life we have, then I improved the quality of it in the capacity that I was able to. And what a better life it is.


Makeup free but happy.