We were out to dinner with friends on New Years Day, they used to be our neighbours but recently got a newer more suitable home about 10 blocks away. When you have three children having a house that is laid out correctly is essential.
Over the two years, they were our neighbours we became good friends, we were the safe haven for their boys after school and on one occasion when they were both working and she needed to go to a family funeral the three children lived at our house for a long weekend.
I freely admit that I now understand why my stepdad was so grumpy when he was 70 and I was about 15, teenagers have that effect. But I digress.
What was important about this dinner was that the youngest had purchased Christmas presents for us. His school had a sale day where everyone donated items for the sale and the children purchased the items to give as gifts. He gave my wife a picture frame and for me, he found a book, “Thank you for being Late”, by Thomas Friedman. His comment when his Mother asked him why that book was. “Colin seemed always be reading those kinds of books.” Wow! I was blown away I didn’t realize he was paying attention.
And the book is a great book. Friedman is very insightful and the theme of the title is that when someone isn’t on time for a meeting for whatever reason the time isn’t wasted, it’s the pause. That moment to reflect, to just sit and think that can be so valuable.
You can’t have a beautiful piece of music without space between the notes. You can’t read an article without the space between the words. As Friedman points out in his book patience is not one of the virtues of the current generation but patience has so many side benefits. Not being in a hurry means that the little things are not missed.
One of my pastimes is to go to my favourite coffee house, order an Americano and sit down and attempt to complete the New York Times crossword puzzle before the Americano is gone. I seldom succeed but that time is invaluable, it allows me to not think about the “to do” list, just sit and enjoy the day. Often this is when the ideas will come to me, they may lead to opportunities or to articles. Invariably I will meet one of my clients there and we will have a brief chat, that often leads to an appointment to discuss an issue that they have been thinking about. If I didn’t take the time to go do that crossword it might be weeks before I saw them.
The pause, just like the space is so important and often ignored, if you want to make your music more in tune with you, add the pause. Do it today you will not regret it.
