Take your time
Olafur Eliasson is one of my favorite artists. He has big installations that capture the importance of perspective. He had an exhibit at SF Moma called “Take your time” https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/31?
I became a fan of his after the exhibit was displayed, but a friend gave me the same titled book from him. The name alone is perfect. In a few words, it describes the dialectic of our relationship to time. It’s both important to be patient, as the common usage of the phrase, but also that we must actively “take” it. It’s a limited resource, and must make the most of it.
As I think about our limited time here, I find myself trying to be as productive as possible. However, scheduling and time are my biggest stressors to life. If I have a lot to do in a day because of appointments, or I have a baking schedule to follow, I feel like I’m rushing through it and stressed out.
When assembling my ebike, the conflict came out in a small way. As I was eager to finish it, I rushed putting in an inner tube in before the tire and found the tube got jammed when I put the tire on. Out of frustration and speed, I tried pulling the inner tube out and I ended up creating a tear in it. So the whole operation got delayed by two days before I could get another tube.
It’s a very counterintuitive thing to do. To slow down, when there’s limited time. I find it really hard to take a day to do nothing. It’s something I think that’s worth working on.