Oh look at the time. Oh! Look at the time. Oh, look. The Time…
No matter how you slice, it, for some strange reason, we feel like we don’t have time to do anything. I know that sounds absolutely crazy in this time of being penned up and locked down. From what I read, that will soon change for some, and although we have no earthly idea what to expect from the coming weeks or possibly years, one thing will continue to move on, whether we like it or not: Time.
What, pray tell, makes one write about time? We seem to think we have too much of it right now, and then, sadly, some don’t have enough. What I do know it that we won’t ever get this moment back. This second, and the one coming up – gone – only to be bronzed on TikTok forever.
So here’s my full disclosure as to how this subject came to pass. My kids. In this time, our two little ones have been home. Now, I love this time I have with them. They are amazing blessings, and through the fights and fits, I wouldn’t have it another way. But, there is the occasional bit of work that has to be done. How does one do this when (child’s name) is in need of (insert noun probably rhyming with Hot Wheel or cracker) seemingly every waking moment?
One summer during college, I came home to Virginia Beach and took bass lessons from an amazingly insightful instructor. We spent a lot of time talking about life, music, why I didn’t practice, etc. We talked about time management. I was working two jobs, and thoroughly enjoyed being on the beach, so we talked about priorities. I said, well, if I’m working two jobs (7-3 and 3-11PM), when am I supposed to practice? He said “Get up at 5AM and get time in before you start your day.”
Umm, right. I mean, aside from occasional before-school marching band practice, I had never really been pushed to get up and do anything, so this was like he was speaking a foreign language to me. I think I tried getting up pre-dawn and practicing once. It wasn’t in my DNA. Or at least I thought.
Notoriously late. That was my 90’s rap name. I was late everywhere. I was once told by a college accounting professor that I would be late to my own funeral. I still have my moments, mind you, but now it’s usually child related rather than a lack of urgency. In this music business, or any business for that matter, that moniker of Notorious L.A.T.E. can be lethal. It’s a good thing I am a mediocre player as well, or I’d be out of work. So what made me want to eventually change my stripes, get up and get cracking?
A couple of things came into play. First, after years of fighting, I realized that I am wonderfully productive and creative first thing in the morning, To sit and just listen to the world at dawn is truly inspiring. To be brutally honest, I think time made me want more time. As I grew older, I realized the value of getting up first thing and conquering all that the day held. And not that I was even ‘old’, per se, but, sadly, somewhere in my 30’s.
So now, as I am older, with two small children at my feet, I find my time just vanishing daily. The current situation doesn’t help find productive time, but the less time I think I have, the more time I try to find, and I find the voice of my old bass instructor echoing in my head more and more these days. I am up pre-dawn, either feverishly typing, or working on something inspirational on the musical front.
My work has been fragmented, which has had to work for now as well. I will take 15 minutes and work on something to build on later, and so on, until the house starts to take shape. It’s not a marathon effort, but it works. And that’s how we have to do things right now.
Some of you are at home, single, no kids, thumbs tired from binge-watching Ozark on Netflix. Hey – soak in this time, I won’t hate you for it. Make sure you also get your projects in now as well, because in a little while when we are all back to work, we’re going to say ‘Man, I wish I has used that time more wisely.’
One of the things I do on the road is get up early. I am the odd bird in that respect. I feel guilty sleeping in (most days – again, kid related exhaustion is real) and if I don’t see sky until noon, I think it is a crime. We are only given so many days on this Earth, and if we are lucky enough to wake up, and, even better, wake up in a different town, we should at least try and see some of it. Of course, this isn’t every town, every day, but if I’m not exploring, I’m catching up or attempting to create before the bus rolls to load in.
So you ask, what, pray tell, is the fruit of all this labor? Hey Steve, is your book finished? Umm, no. Did you write a hit song? Nope. Did you get the therapy you needed by writing or submersing yourself into something important to you? Absolutely. Did you learn something today? Of course. And that’s the real beauty of it all.
We work, we pay bills. We watch TV, we go to bed. Rinse, repeat. That’s not much fun if you think about it. I think we all need an outlet of some kind. Mine happens to be music-related, whether writing for a guitar magazine, working in video, or recording other projects. Through it all, however, I tend to learn something at every turn, and on every project. That’s the real reason I like to get up and ‘work’ – is to learn.
So if an education is the byproduct or the direct intention, the key is to actually get up and find the time to do what we want to do. You’ll find somehow to monetize what you have learned, but as we know, the money comes and goes. The real treasure is the knowledge you gain about yourself, your capabilities, your ambition, and achieving what you didn’t think or even conceive possible.
The world is in the process of reinventing itself. Perhaps you can find 15 minutes every day to do the same…
