Productivity

As I was drinking my tea and reading this morning, I started to think. This is one side benefit of being in Africa – thinking time. Lots of it. Because my day isn’t loaded up with post-work tasks, I am finding time to read, write, obsess over minor things, meditate (a form of prayer, for me – the fruits of which show up in my writing – as Margaret pointed out to me)  – and I really enjoy it. That’s the tragedy of modernity – the clutter of so much to do, so little time to do it in. Why have I let that happen to me? And is there any way to avoid it, really?

I was thinking about the older people who are living productive lives in Africa, contributing their skills to improving lives here – and they are doing this well into their seventies! I began counting – I am 49 now, so if I haul my butt back to the gym, resume more healthy eating habits, try to get a decent night sleep, and generally try to keep my personal engine in good repair, it’s not unrealistic to think that I could be productive into my mid-seventies. That gives me another 25 good years – in other words, I would have the same amount of time that I have experienced from age 25 to 50. This suddenly opened up a lot of doors in my mind.

Heck, I’m not nearing the END of my work-life, I’m only halfway through it!