A Windy Morning, It Carries a Promise

As I am sitting here typing, I must apologize for the delay by which this post finally reaches my blog. However, it would seem that this is serendipitous in light of the comment left upon the last post. I guess I am a little confused as to the rationale when "paintcolor2" suggested I post a few times a week at the most (was it for my business or the business of the readers that you suggest this, paintcolor2?...please let me know if you read this!) Also to the person behind the avatar, thank you for the encouraging comments regarding your perspective and report on how people have enjoyed reading this blog. :) My response to that is: If you thought that was anything, then let us buckle up, because this ship is only going to sail faster as life goes by! (And by this, I simply am inputting a bit of my own philosophy: As one gets older, accumulates more responsibility, and becomes more knowledgeable, life will only get more crazy, go by quickly, and simply become more difficult. My response to this is this: If we find that life is hard, then rejoice! Because you have not then numbed yourself to the radical responsibilities to which you are uniquely bound to serve those around you. In other words, you are right on the money with that assumption (For a more systematic perspective on the notion that "life is difficult," please see Dr. Scott Peck's book "The Road Less Traveled.").

Which transitions me nicely to my main point of thought this fine (and windy!) evening...how much extra time is REALLY needed to extend yourself just a little more to show others you care, that you are sensitive to their thoughts and feelings, or simply that you are a human too (and not just a bundle of programmed responses!). I seem to be beating this general topic of demands upon one's time, but I find that it is something that deserves more thought, as it seems to be relevant within a culture that rewards those who find ways to be more productive, which is largely tied to the time a given individual possesses.

I do not presume to know what you, the reader's, view is on this, yet I would presume that many of us struggle between this notion of empathic sympathizing for whomever may be around vs. the myriad of obligations obstructing your path. I confess, I often choose the option of smoothly cutting conversations that I have with others as short as possible in order to give more time to my private endeavors. By no means am I saying that the accomplishments achieved throughout daily grindings inherently detract from one's social development, but I would propose that there may be a healthy balance between the two, which is more attainable than many may believe.

It is here that I make this point short, yet simply sweet: Do you have AT LEAST five minutes?... Just dwell upon that notion and whatever it may mean to you for a while. To me, it implies that I indeed have at least the time to call a friend today, a friend with whom I have neglected to talk for too long. It suggests that I am certainly capable of responding to my classmates' comments about his/her day in a sympathetic manner. Perhaps I can significantly contribute my classmates in that simple way or start a lasting relationship. Who can honestly predict that may occur because of those extra five minutes? Is it then not worth that sacrifice in time to gain a friend who may provide priceless support later in life's struggle?

I know this may be an old topic, but let us freshen this up a little: What implications do you see for your own life if you were to use five minutes to maintain or create a relational connection to others around you?