Nadine J Walters – My Life

Question for today: What are your thoughts on time?

My answer:
My thoughts on time tend to shift constantly—depending on who I’m with, what I’m doing, where I am, and why I’m doing it. It’s a slippery, shapeshifting thing.

This morning, while walking my dog Andy, I found myself feeling impatient to get on with the day—which made no sense, considering I’d already been up and moving for hours. It’s fascinating how our perception of time affects how we feel about it. There’s never enough time. Then again, sometimes we have too much time. Time is precious. Time heals all wounds. We have all the time in the world—or none at all. These phrases rushed into my head without effort (and you can Google plenty more).

Today, I want to explore my time. My perceived lack of it, and how that perception shapes my day.

I often feel like I don’t have enough time. This, from the woman who spent last night scrolling through Facebook, then Instagram, then YouTube—hours gone. I could’ve read a book, watched a movie, painted something. But I scrolled. I even deleted Instagram recently… only to reinstall it so I could follow an artist—who I can’t even find now. Classic. I know I’ve vented about this before, and honestly, the problem isn’t the app. It’s me. And I know how to manage it… given enough time. (Cue laugh track.)

I’m teasing myself a bit, but there’s a more serious thread here I want to follow. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how we store time. How we try to save it, schedule it, and parcel it out for productivity. Why do we do that?

I keep a planner. I have a calendar and a list of things that need to get done. But do they really? What would happen if I moved through my day more like I did as a kid—with curiosity and ease, without hard stops or checklists? That said, I do enjoy structure. Having an outline gives me a sense of peace. But within that structure, is there space to feel more present? More connected? How can I engage with time in a way that leaves me feeling fulfilled at the end of the day?

That’s the question I’m sitting with. That’s today’s quest.