Time is a precious commodity, way more valuable than diamonds or rubies or emeralds. Today, despite a jam-packed schedule, I risked some of my time.
A friend from out-of-town and staying with me, called to say she was at work, an hour away, and she’d forgotten something critical for her day. She couldn’t leave, and asked if I had the time to drive it to her.
Of course I didn’t have the time. No way. My mental to-do list immediately popped into my consciousness. I’m teaching a joy diet class in a few hours, I’m in the middle of writing a blog post, my email is piling up, and there are a bunch of phone calls to make…. The list is endless, limited only by my ability to dream up things to add to it. Besides, it’s rush hour, and it might take two hours. Or longer if there’s an accident on the expressway….
Being on the joy diet, though, I noticed the discomfort I was feeling. A quick assessment of the Truth revealed that I will never complete that to-do list, and I had an opportunity to be a real friend in need. I told her I would do it.
I took a few extra minutes to assemble some Treats for my journey–a cup of hot tea and some lyrical cds for the road. I also reminded myself to expect the traffic to be heavy, and not to be surprised or get upset when it actually was slow-going or there was an accident.
The extra few minutes for Treats was well worth it. I enjoyed the drive and used it to do my 15 minutes of Nothing, and the rest of the time just to goof-off. The tea and music were delightful, too. And the look of relief on my friend’s face was priceless.
I drove home, finished preparing this morning’s class, and let the rest of the list wait. Sometimes that’s what joy is about.
