The tiny threads

Time doesn't measure the value of life, nor does living a lengthy life ensure a valuable one; how long we live has little bearing upon its value. What truly weaves the threads of value into our life-tapestries is how effectively we live, our thoughts, attitudes and actions. It's what we do in the moments, and the moments between the moments, that provides the most value. Finding and creating those threads is true value.

- galenkp -

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The planned sleep in didn't happen; a by-product of waking up early every morning to ensure the day has enough hours in it to allow me the ability to get everything done. I'm a finish the mission sort of man, so early mornings and late nights happen. But alas, no matter what the smallish pea-brain in my noggin wants, my body clock usually wins out and I was up at a rather rude hour this morning once again.

Saturdays are my day. I don't mean this figuratively, I mean Saturdays are mine, I own them. I don't always have something planned but often I do as being organised is also my thing; it goes hand in hand with mission-finishing. It's been my way since I was a little tacker and now I'm a full-grown dinosaur...well, old habits are hard to break. Besides, I'm not about to try and break a good habit, that would be bonkers.

Today I dropped my car at the car wash. Ok, that's not entirely true...I dropped my work car at the car wash, there's no way I'd trust someone else to wash my own vehicles! Yep, that's a me thing too.

I get my work car washed, vacuumed, polished and tyres shined each week as my work vehicle, (any vehicle I drive really), is a representation of me. It's $59 dollars well spent, especially since the company pay for it! Hey, it's their car after all. I have breakfast whilst it happens, a crispy bacon and egg toasted sandwich today, with ketchup of course. Coffee happens too.

It's a small moment I enjoy, you know, time to just collect my thoughts, and on those Saturdays I don't have anything planned it gives me a moment or three to determine exactly what threads I'll weave into my life that day.

I drove away in my clean and shiny car towards a café to meet a friend for coffee. I used to work with this girl and we became friends. I shoot with her husband now or, more accurately, he shoots with me, as I sometimes bring him to the cattle farm I perform culling duties upon. We're good friends and April Not her real name) and I catch up now and then to tell lies and generally hang out.

We were there for a couple hours, had a couple coffees and I'm not going to admit or deny that the plate of pikelets you see above happened. We solved the worlds problems of course, and that was that.

Afterwards I headed to a car dealership as I'm considering a new pick up truck and wanted to do a recce (reconnaissance) on a couple models I have been considering. I'm not one to do the online thing much although with cars I usually do it and then go see things with my own eyes. I'd expected a battle of wills between the salesperson and myself, you know what car salespeople can be like, but I was pleasantly surprised the young chap listened to me, was knowledgeable and not pushy; he even made me a coffee, as if I needed another. It was refreshing to see a fellow do his job effectively and thoroughly and actually listen to the customer and should I buy the vehicle from that manufacturer I'll go back to that dealership and ask for him.

I went home from there and started my new Lego project, which I'll post about eventually, and basically that was it for the rest of the afternoon.

I'll be totally honest and say it wasn't an overly awe-inspiring day. Not that it was bad or anything, just that nothing very momentous happened...but what did happen ended up giving me some enjoyment and value.

But that's the thing right? Life isn't a collection of momentous events, it's just a collection of events, moments, experiences, thoughts, attitudes and actions that all combine to make up the whole thing. I believe it's every moment, small, medium and large, that help us create a good life. The threads we weave into our life-tapestries don't always have to be based around the huge moments. In fact, I'd rather a consistent stream of small to medium moments of value than leaping from one big moment to the next. Doing the latter leaves a whole lot of value undiscovered I think.

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Wasting time isn't something I like to do. I don't mean time in my day though, I mean time in my life. I don't know when it will end, it could even be today, and so I figure I'll weave my life-tapestry as best I can, take the tiny threads and weave them into and around the larger ones and create value in the process, value in all of the moments, not just the momentous. It seems prudent considering I don't know which moment could be my last.

But that's me, how about you? What's your thoughts on it based on your own life? Do you choose to ignore the small moments in preference to holding out for the bigger ones? Do you appreciate and value everything and every moment around you...and your life in general? Do you actively create and chase the small moments or focus on creating the larger moments? Feel free to comment below.