Too Much To Do - Not Enough Time

I have hit another typical fall season problem head on… too much to do and not enough time! Have you ever been at that juncture in life?

It seems that the cold weather sneaks up on me and all the yard work just piles up. In our area and on our property we are surrounded with trees and trees have leaves – lots of leaves. Add to that our driveway is a magnetic place drawing leaves from all the other houses on our street. When I looked closely at the leaves that are there this AM – I don’t even have that kind of tree.
Many came from a tree two lots away.

There were a few snow flakes early on Tuesday AM. That little hint alone means that I had better get the snow shovel out soon and clean off the snow blower – or it might be late. This “creeping in” of the winter scene last year found my snow blower buried in the shed behind a snow drift and the shovels with it. That was fun kicking snow out of the way to get at the shovels!

It is all coming fast again. It may be my age – but instead of slowing down I have to hurry up. The light changes quicker now as I cross the street. Cars drive faster than they used to… but the speed limit is the same.

I remember when the first computer that I was able to buy was not able to hook to the Internet – there was no Internet. I remember when there was no hard drive in the box we called a computer. Now I am sounding like a person that “remembers when …” and I am a little slower and little older and little wiser.

Yesterday, in a Coffee Shop, a young lady I came to know over these past 8 years saw me. She smiled and asked me in her greeting, “How are you?” I looked at her and answered as well as I could… “Older and wiser, thanks.” It was the best that I could muster at that the moment.

I am older today than yesterday. It is all coming very fast today.

Two days ago the news broadcast mentioned a story about a man that had been hurt. They talked about this elderly gentleman that had been hurt. He was apparently crossing a street when a speeding car hit him. I pictured some poor old senior out for his afternoon stroll being hit by a car that was going too fast again.

The shock came as the announcer stated his age as 5 years older than I am… Go figure! Life has propelled me to the ultimate end of a fast paced run… I am old(er).

When I complained to my older friend about what had happened, his eyes twinkled as he heard me describe the fast pace around me. He asked my age and grinned when I told him. He said slowly, “Wait till you hit 82, then you will know what it is all about. Even the water runs too fast for me.”

The part that is causing a conflict in me now is the quantity that is to yet be done, and the time to do it all in. Today is another full day with only a few hours to do it all.

“I have to run now… sorry… I will catch you tomorrow okay? Maybe we can meet at Brother John’s funeral. We can have coffee together okay? Someday we will have more time.”