We talk about free time as if it is anything but working on the house, putting in hours at our jobs, taking care of our pets, and filling obligatory roles as parents and children.
Our responsibilities may be our lives, but they are perhaps not the things aligned with what we perceive as free time. So what is free time? For many, it is play time. We may engage in paint ball, or go to parties, or take a vacation, or receive a relaxing massage. But sometimes, our most exhilarating moments happen while we are in the throes of responsibility.
Indeed, we may be at work and feel good when we help to land an account, or receive a promotion for a job well done. We may be spending time with a sick grandmother and have an exciting conversation about the family lineage. We may revel in our children’s sport victories or laugh at the antics of our puppies or kittens. Good moments arise at times that we least expect. We can enjoy these more by realizing that we are the ones who chose our responsibilities in the first place. We can enjoy the moments instead of yearning for that illusive free time we have heard so much about.
When we have time away from work, we sometimes feel a compulsion to play hard, but this notion may be misplaced. We can take a few moments to read business material on the weekend, and we can take a few moments at work to think about our next vacation. Appreciating every moment, and refraining from placing labels on our blocks of time, helps us to create satisfying lives.
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