Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me."
Gandalf: "So do all who live in such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
from: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring screenplay
Last night I sat down with my partner to review what we accomplished during the day. On the previous day, we agreed to each work at least 10 hours towards goals. I had mentioned to him that I thought he would have a harder time than me because I had 9.5 hours lined up for teaching. In his wonderful optimistic way, he didn't think it would be a problem.
Well, last night I tallied my productive time and reached 11 hours. However, when I asked him what he accomplished, he could only account for 5 hours. Using the phrasing that works with his culture, I said, "That isn't fair." He looked at his notes and whispered, "But I was busy all day. I just don't know what I did."
I made the analogy to time being as valuable as money. "If you go out with a full wallet and at the end of the day you don't know what you spent it on, that would not be good. But money can be made again. Time can never be made again. Your time is your most valuable asset, it should be watched like the precious thing it is."
We'll see what happens today.
Hunting around for a suitable quote concerning the value of time, I came upon "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." The quote from the book is a little different:
Gandalf: "So do all who live in such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
from: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring screenplay
Last night I sat down with my partner to review what we accomplished during the day. On the previous day, we agreed to each work at least 10 hours towards goals. I had mentioned to him that I thought he would have a harder time than me because I had 9.5 hours lined up for teaching. In his wonderful optimistic way, he didn't think it would be a problem.
Well, last night I tallied my productive time and reached 11 hours. However, when I asked him what he accomplished, he could only account for 5 hours. Using the phrasing that works with his culture, I said, "That isn't fair." He looked at his notes and whispered, "But I was busy all day. I just don't know what I did."
I made the analogy to time being as valuable as money. "If you go out with a full wallet and at the end of the day you don't know what you spent it on, that would not be good. But money can be made again. Time can never be made again. Your time is your most valuable asset, it should be watched like the precious thing it is."
We'll see what happens today.
Hunting around for a suitable quote concerning the value of time, I came upon "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." The quote from the book is a little different:
'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo. 'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given, us.
Thanks to Archive.org
The ring, or more precisely the burden of the ring, is a metaphor for what we can accomplish. Some of us have the privilege caring and growing the abilities of others. Some of us have unique talents. Some of us just need to get through one more day. What the teacher, the parent, the business owner, the artist, the refugee, the soldier, the politician, or what ever role we have needs to remember that time is precious.
It is just not our time, it is the time of others as well. I have been asked many times why I prepare so much to teach. Most of the time I just say, "it's my job," or some other platitude. However, one time I was asked of my department head why. I replied, "If I am not prepared, I am stealing opportunity to learn and wasting my students' time."
Account for your time as if it is precious, because it is.
Gratitudes: Sunny, cool days; cheap bookcases, time.
The ring, or more precisely the burden of the ring, is a metaphor for what we can accomplish. Some of us have the privilege caring and growing the abilities of others. Some of us have unique talents. Some of us just need to get through one more day. What the teacher, the parent, the business owner, the artist, the refugee, the soldier, the politician, or what ever role we have needs to remember that time is precious.
It is just not our time, it is the time of others as well. I have been asked many times why I prepare so much to teach. Most of the time I just say, "it's my job," or some other platitude. However, one time I was asked of my department head why. I replied, "If I am not prepared, I am stealing opportunity to learn and wasting my students' time."
Account for your time as if it is precious, because it is.
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