Making Time for What Matters
Sometimes, the kindest thing we can do for ourselves is to step away and make space for what matters
This weekend, my daughter and I are travelling to Sydney by bus. We have plans. Quite a few, actually.
We are seeing Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour. As lovers of Phantom, we are very excited. We are also hoping it doesn’t rain, because the production is on the harbour, outside, with no shelter.
The idea for the weekend started because my daughter wanted to see a ballet, Romeo and Juliet. I wanted to spend three hours on a bus reading a book. I did not want to see a ballet. So, while my daughter is watching pirouettes and jetés, I will be at The Lion King. I am fully expecting to cry at the opening. Again.
We are also visiting a Banksy exhibition. Somewhere in between, we have booked a long lunch, or maybe an afternoon tea. Apparently, they make what might be the best scones in Sydney. I guess we will find out.
It is going to be a full weekend. And yet, it does not feel busy in the way life usually does. It feels chosen and deliberate.
That, I think, is the difference.
Most weeks are filled with things that need to be done. Work, responsibilities, and routines take up space quickly and convincingly. Before long, there is very little room left for anything else. The things we enjoy get pushed aside and become something we will get to “when things settle down.”
Of course, things rarely settle down.
Weekends like this do not happen by accident. They happen because, at some point, we decide to make space for them. We choose to prioritise something that is not urgent, but still important.
And when we do, something shifts.
We step out of the usual rhythm. We pay attention in a different way. We notice more. We enjoy more. Time feels less like something we are trying to manage, and more like something we are actually living in.
I think that is what I am looking forward to most.
It isn’t really about the shows or the places, but the feeling of being there for it. It is about remembering that life is not only made up of the things we have to do, but also the things we choose to do.
Because the things we make time for are not just how we spend our days. They are how we shape our lives.
I write to understand what it means to be human in a messy, chaotic world. If this piece resonated with you in some way, you’re always welcome to subscribe to The Being Space.
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And if you’d like to sit with these ideas a little longer, my book What if Life Came with a User Guide is available on Amazon.
