I Don’t Have Enough Time

That expression is something I seem to be hearing from everyone I know. I can understand hearing it from people who are working. I am sure I used to mutter that expression a great deal myself. The surprising thing I am finding is that I am hearing it from my retired friends. I thought retirement meant you were supposed to be able to have ample time to do things you enjoy. I think too many people are afraid of finding themselves with too much idle time on their hands when they retire so they volunteer for all kinds of activities at churches, charities and hospitals. This is fine and good, but it seems to me many of them are caught in the rat race again and doing things they really do not enjoy but are trapped. I also see my friends being robbed of their leisure by their children who shirk their parental duties and dump the grandkids on grandma and grandpa. I want to ask them did you treat your parents like this? The third and most tragic way I see people spending their time is in the healthcare system—commuting to doctors’ appointments and sitting in doctors’ offices. There is no way to avoid the healthcare system but while they are sitting there waiting I wonder if they are thinking about all the enjoyable things they did not do because “I Don’t Have Enough Time.” I am trying to make sure that I do have enough time.