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THE LEN LESSER REPORT  

THE LEN LESSER REPORT

 

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TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

I am always amazed and troubled that so many people focus on time. They have to have every minute of the day accounted for. It is not good enough that they "work eight hours, sleep eight hours which is supposed to leave eight hours for fun".

My friend Mike, from the Y, seems to be obsessed by his digital stop watch strapped to his wrist which he continues to check in the hot tub, shower, swimming pool and the locker-room. Exactly eight minutes in the hot tub, six minute to shower, swim his ten laps in the swimming pool in twelve minutes. A very quick shave, a sprint back to the shower and then he runs to Yoga for thirty minutes set aside for relaxing stretching and meditating. I am exhausted just watching him trying to keep up with his constant checking on his watch to see that he dare not be late.

Running to keep a dead line with the promise never to be late is very important regime in his life. Not sure if I like the dead line implications of his strict military like regime?

"Even his love life is ruled by the clock." "Precisely 40 minutes 30 seconds in bed with his loving wife, Gloria, every Saturday at nine sharp in the evening." Wow, quite a feat of endurance. I was very impressed with his stamina until I discovered the digital true facts. "Exactly three and one half minutes of passionate love making followed by thirty seven minutes of blissful exhausting sleep". Mike sure knows of what he speaks; his umbilical like luminous watch is always attached to his wrist day and night and he is always on time.

I have to admit that my life has too many time commitments. I check my planner every morning to make sure that my counseling scheduled appointments are noted. People sure get mad if I am a no show when they travel from Toronto or Port Elgin Ontario for their appointments with their children.

We too have too many clocks in the house: in the living room there is the Westminister Chime Grandfather Clock, and an antique German time piece; in the library is my favourite ice cream French Desk clock; in the kitchen a school clock and a Cuckoo clock that we have to shut down at night to be able to sleep. Gee, I nearly forgot the digital clocks on our computer, microwave oven, stove and radios. Two clocks in our car and I still slap on my Swiss Army Watch every morning which I rarely check.

Perhaps we can learn from the biblical sages in the Book of Ecclesiastics the concept regarding time. "For everything their is a season. And a time for every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot; a time to slay and time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn. and a time to dance; a time to keep quiet, and a time to talk; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Use your time wisely."

Vaughn Monroe, the song writer, had some wonderful lyrics: "Busy doin’ nothing isn’t just a crime? We’d like to be unhappy but we never do have the time."

Take it easy my friendly and, you will last a whole lot longer and finish a whole lot stronger.

Len Lesser

Len Lesser posts a report every week

You can email Len at lenlesser@hotmail.com