Kaileen Elise asks us this reverb11 question:
Where did you spend your time?
I love this question, perhaps because I have said over and over you can tell a person’s priorities by how a person spends her or his time. Time is an equal commodity to every person on the planet. Each of us decide how to spend our allotment. If the year ends and we lament we didn’t get what we hoped for, my question is always, “Where did (or how did) you spend your time?”
If your time was spent pursuing the approval of others or doing things “insert specific people” want you to do, you will short change yourself in your time allotment. I guarantee it.
Reflecting on 2011, I can see in the earliest 5 months of the year I devoted many of my evenings to theater. I was in rehearsals of some sort probably 60% of the time between January and May.
I also invested moments in traveling and exploration: I went to Massachusetts twice, I went to Flagstaff, Arizona once, I took weekend trips and day trips to Los Angeles on a regular basis and more than once I found myself reveling in Dana Point. Right now I have my first trip to Dana Point scheduled for 2012 and am hoping to do Flagstaff in April. This Summer I would like to travel someplace different: perhaps a wild road trip like I did with my children in 2008 where our destination (not planned for) was South Dakota. We couch surfed our way up through California, Oregon, Washington and then over to Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. It was awesome, scary and even more scary. I fell in love with each place we visited. I need to renew my love with the Southwest, I am thinking. Via car. LOVE this idea!
After May and on theater sabbatical, I spent an increasing amount of time with my children. I also did quite a few hours in educational advocacy work as I served on two school district committees. My work here is significant both for Samuel and all the children in the BCSD.
I spent way too much time driving here and there in 2011. I am thinking in 2012 I will scale back on my driving, perhaps using the bicycle more, exploring the bike path which wraps through Bakersfield. Most important is the ride to downtown is rather speedy and pleasant. I could do this, with some upped intentionality.
I spent time in 2011 teaching the art and love of writing. This is incredibly fulfilling to me. In 2012 I intend to continue with leading my own program: writing camp, as well as taking on more contractual teaching. I am going to finish my application to teach ESL at a local college as an adjunct instructor. I only want to teach one writing class a semester. I cherish my free-style, free-lance work when I want to lifestyle and I don’t want to give that up but now, a-ha, I just realized I could use that adjunct income to fund a rollicking road trip this Summer.
Right on, Write on! Word-love and Time-love to each and all! Thanks, Kaileen for the evocative prompt!
I am Julie Jordan Scott ~ and this is one of my Reverb11 posts. This year, the Reverb Community is taking an individualized approach to this life changing initiative. I am answering several prompts a day in short snippets during either a 30 minute or 60 minute wordsprint. I look forward to reading other Reverb11ers writing & if you are unfamiliar, just use the prompt and use the #reverb11 hashtag on twitter. You'll have a blast!
Follow me on Twitter: @JulieJordanScot
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© 2011
Julie Jordan Scott
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