Slack

We focus so much of our lives around productivity. It is what we have been taught from such an early age.

It is what capitalism thrives on. Finish one task before we start the next. Be present. Avoid interruptions. (It takes 23 minutes to refocus.) Scale. Do the same thing you did yesterday but a little faster and a little cheaper.

Yet, when our significant other calls, do we drop everything to pick up the phone? When your kid asks if they can go on a walk with you, do you put stuff on hold for them? How often are we caught saying, “In just a minute”?

Interruptions are an exception for the people we care about. Because they are not actual interruptions or inconveniences. They are the why behind all of this in the first place. Aren’t they?

It’s funny because, over time, we convince ourselves that we are doing this for them in the first place. That someday we will have fun once we have everything all set.

And then, you are reminded that time is short. It’s later than you think.

Build slack into your system for today. For now, is the only moment we are guaranteed. Now is not later.

Two touching posts (here and here) below from parents that lost their 8-year-old a month ago. Thank you for sharing and reminding us what this is all for.