Whatever happened to free time?

Finally the holidays are here - including lots of ice and snow and really cold temperatures. The low temperature yesterday showed minus 16 Fahrenheit (or minus 26 Celsius) - and that is not counting the wind. But what else is to be expected in Minnesota? I can rest assured that I am the only member of my family to actually have the obligatory "white Christmas"- my father and stepfather being in northern Germany, they are unlikely to get snow: their winter typically consists more of rain than snow. And my mother in Ghana and my uncle somewhere in South America, well, they certainly won't get snow either...

And I have the unbelievable luxury of having two weeks off straight. What a rare thing in a society that is so fast paced that most people can never stop to look at the clouds, dream, or connect with their innermost self. As a teacher, I get most of the school vacations off and that is a somewhat special position. Certainly, there is work to do over this time, such as preparing classes, filling out evaluation forms, reviewing some videos, and so on, but it is done at home at my convenience.

I remember well from those years when I worked for a major Insurance Company that most corporate employees are not that lucky. The average American worker barely does get two weeks vacation over the whole year - far not enough to ever be able to really recuperate. One may need these two weeks over the year just to run errands, or catch up with things in the house or other family obligations. But forget about a real vacation or even enough time spent at home to feel that it is really a home and not just some place where one sleeps.

I am convinced that people who get 4 weeks or more off per year (and actually take it off, too) are happier, healthier, and more productive too. Once again, Europe leads the example: everyone starts out with 4 weeks paid vacation, and over the years this can accumulate to as much as 8 weeks vacation. Is Germany's economy less productive than the US economy because of that? I don't think so. To the best of my knowledge the economies of the leading European countries (such as Germany, France, England) have been at least as strong as the US economy, and the people have certainly enjoyed a less frantic pace of life. As a consequence, they have better health and a longer life expectancy!

(For a more complete answer to this question, see the excellent book by Jeremy Rifkin called "The European Dream"; available at amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/European-Dream-Europes-Eclipsing-American/dp/1585424358/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230096512&sr=8-1).

But back to my two weeks off. With both Gio's and my family strewn over four continents, we don't really have any family obligations either. (That is not to say we wouldn't like to see them, it is just not so easy when the family is overseas. So far, I have only been able to visit once every couple of years).

Instead, I actually get time to myself - and I can't wait to be creative in any shape or form. Forget about the house that needs cleaning, laundry that hasn't been ironed, or a pile of paperwork that wants to be done. I can't wait to write and to paint, to have a creative outlet that I have neglected for some time.

I think we are all made to be creative in some way, and the lack of time to do so is an ailment rampant in our society. As I said in my last post, art refines us. Exposure to great art refines us, and creating art ourselves - at whatever level of laymanship or professionalism- keeps us happy and intimately connected with Life itself.

Being creative can be as simple as journaling or even taking in a beautiful sunset or a spectacular starry night. In the end, it has all to do with cultivating our connection to the Divine - something that stubbornly refuses to be done in a rush. If every minute of our lives is scheduled, and even time off is used to driving the kids around, doing chores in the house and trying to fulfill all the "shoulds" of social life, it is unlikely that we can maintain an inner equilibrium.

The funny thing in our society is that, if we take time for ourselves, for any such "selfish" pursuit such as meditation, art, or whatever it is that makes us feel whole and happy - we are called just that: selfish. But nothing could be further from the truth, because we cannot serve those around us without a connection to our innermost self, the part of us that is a spark of the Divine. An empty cup will simply not have anything to give unless it first replenishes itself.

In my opinion, Life is a balance of giving and receiving. While the pace of life may have sped up, we are still human: we still need 8 hours of sleep, and skipping on sleep will not serve us or anyone else in the long run. We still need downtime, even though society tells us that adults are not "productive" if they have downtime. We still need to connect with the wonder of life, even though we are not children anymore. If we fail to do so, we risk ending up dead inwardly, unhappy, and, in the worst case, sick. And how can a sick and unhappy person serve life in any way?

So, whatever happened to free time? It is what we make of it. We can choose to oblige the message of society, ever trying to catch up with a never-ending list of things that must be done, or we can choose to listen to that soft voice inside us, that reminds us to oblige our hearts. While there is a time to work hard and heed the responsibilities of daily life, there also is a time to slow down and become conscious of the "fingerprint of God" everywhere around us. May Christmas be just the right time for reflection of those things!

I, for my part, will do so over walks in nature, writing poetry, and attending to as many colors and canvases as I can. :-)