fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Why I Love My Calendar. We’d probably go insane without them
By: Susan Orlean
Tags: Writing, Time, Calendar, First Person

Why I Love My Calendar

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

There is nothing as optimistic as a calendar — it takes the endlessly unfolding nature of time and gives it structure and circularity, offering us a sense of fresh starts and soft endings. Calendars (and clocks and all devices that mark time) help us manage the very unmanageable notion of time itself. We’d be literally lost without them.

Take 2020 (please). What an awful year this has been, right? Seeing it as “an awful year” holds out the notion that 2020 is a fixed period of time that will come to an end. No one thinks the pandemic or the economy or national divisiveness will disappear, poof!, at midnight on December 31, but still, it feels like… maybe it will be the beginning of a better year. I have never cared much about celebrating New Year’s Day, but this year I can’t wait. I know it’s not rational, but it feels like January 1, 2021 will be a new beginning, a chance to shed the ugly, wrinkled skin of 2020 and be reborn, sleek and silky and full of promise.

Calendars, of course, are an invention. In truth, time is a linear thing, marked only by the recurring seasons and the arc of lifetimes. Otherwise, time is a long march, ever forward. Calendars are comforting; it’s reassuring to feel that time exists in predictable, familiar units rather than in an undifferentiated existential sprawl. In my first book, Saturday Night, I wrote about how a score of different communities around the country spend Saturday night. What intrigued me was how urgently we all — rich, poor, young, old, married, single, and in every region of the country — yearn for a marker in time. We need to believe time forms an arc that has a beginning, a hump in the middle, a celebratory end. This urge is universal and eternal (hello, Biblical tale of six days on/one day off!). We need to feel that time is a narrative that unspools and renews frequently. In particular, we want to be able to package a bad stretch and be able to tie it up and believe that it ends. I can barely count the times I’ve declared that I’m having a bad week, as if it’s a predetermined stretch that will end magically Sunday night.

One thing about the pandemic has been the strange, smooth nothingness of time. Every day seems the same as the next, a muddied blur. We’ve lost the narrative — our narrative of how time has texture, the narrative that we aren’t on an endless, shapeless journey but are traveling through a series of manageable, distinct periods that have highs and lows, entries and exits, in a cycle that is human-sized, that is comforting and concrete rather than stretching without end into eternity.

This has been a bad year. I can’t wait to start a new, fresh one.
Time Jumps
By: Ana-Maria Schweitzer
Tags: One Line, Time, One Line Poetry, Life, Existence

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Patience, the secret to life.
By: Nobert Muthaura
Tags: Time, Patience, Focus

I’ve come to realize that patience is the key to the kingdom. Be it in making money, in relationships or at work, without you submitting to time, nothing will work. Nothing at all will ever work out for you if you ain’t patient.

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

I’ve been jumping from one opportunity to the other without taking time to really put in the work and I’ve seen my friends excel at what I’ve rejected by giving myself excuses and not putting in the work. Problem with me is, I don’t have the patience to put in the work to learn a particular skill. By not taking the time to learn and practice, I doom myself to failure. It ends no other way really. Submitting to time is the most rewarding thing you’ll ever practice, since perfection is achieved by putting in the work which refers to being patient in everything one does.

As Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

He had a really good point there. Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA, says the more time you give yourself to learn a particular skill, the better you get at it. It takes 10,000 hours to become an “expert in an ultra competitive field” but to go from “knowing nothing to being pretty good”, actually takes 20 hours. The equivalent of 45 minutes a day for a month.

I know its really difficult to practice patience, but trust me, once you get into the habit of practicing patience everything just falls in place. So as I turn 26 I want to put in the effort to learn what I’ve neglected, including writing. You’ll have to forgive the mistakes I make in this article because its my first time publishing an article, but in time I know I’ll get better at it.

Photo by qinghill on Unsplash

So challenge yourself today. Let go of the unhealthy habit of trying to learn everything all at once and submit yourself to time as you perfect one.
Wristwatches Are Handcuffs
By: Padma Bern
Tags: Time, Blue Insights, Prison, Dictators, Poetry

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Wasting
By: Gurita Agnes
Tags: Instagram, Friends, Time, Waste, Wasting Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCPDlZpXak

I wish I never wasted my own time sleeping. It is good, but I feel useless sleeping so much.

Maybe we deserve more appreciation. Or more friends. Maybe that’s it. For sure, I stay all the time in the house, doing nothing but study and lose some time on Instagram. Maybe I need to go out. Or somebody to talk with.

Maybe you’re the one for me. Would you want to be my friend?
An Ode to Time ⏳
By: Magdeline Huang
Tags: Time, Reflections, Thoughts, Sunset, Life

Time.

The greatest philosophical discussion of all time.

In one second, both life and death are at play.

In one minute, both sadness and happiness can banter.

In one day, light and dark come to scene.

What then can happen in a few days? In a few weeks? In a few months?

To say “lots” is an understatement.

If you really put some thought into it, it is almost unfathomable how so much can change.

They say time changes, time heals.

True indeed, but I wish to say time brings forth understanding.

Upon reflection, the effects of time can truly be appreciated and realisations made.

The realisation that nothing is permanent.

Everything is fleeting.

This is not news, yet when you think about it, the stark reality of this fact of life strikes you.
Effective Tips For Time Management For College Students
Tags: College Students, Time, College Life, Students, Time Management

Understudy life has gotten riotous because of scholastic weight. Each understudy feels like they have next to no an ideal opportunity to finish their errands. Tasks, tests, ventures, tests, tests, and different exercises make a weighty weight on the understudies. Because of numerous exercises, they can’t oversee time for each assignment and begin losing marks. Time the executives is one of the serious issues which the greater part of the understudies face in their scholarly life. In the event that you are an undergrad and furthermore face trouble in overseeing time, at that point don’t stress by any means. You are in good company who is attempting to adjust the furious timetable. As indicated by the most recent exploration directed by Georgetown University, almost 70% of the understudies face issues in dealing with their time. That shows that it is indispensable to zero in on time the board.
My Colon In The Age Of COVID
By: Michael Branscum
Tags: Philosophy, Colon, Time, Ulcerative Colitis, Family

“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.” — Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

My colon is no longer with us. This is ripe with many consequences (not an exhaustive list):

My small intestine now sticks out from my stomach and I poop in a bag. It’s like a little, red alien providing an essential service for my body.

My legs are getting stronger from squatting to empty my bag into the toilet. However, this is no substitute for ‘leg day’ that I hear about from people who work out.

I no longer have to tighten my sphincter to keep bloody diarrhea from exiting my body on long drives. Nothing quite like being stuck in a traffic jam as your bowels release into yours pants, soak through to the seat, and exude lovely odors.

Hopefully, being colon-less allows me to be around longer for my wife, son, and loved ones. What a delight for them (and for me of course)!

All that to say, it has been quite a journey. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and celiac disease in the mid-2000’s.

I remember the horse pills and steroids I would take.

The multiple hospitalizations with blood transfusions.

The lethargy.

The hopelessness.

The lies I would tell myself and others about feeling better. Perhaps it was a heartfelt act of faith that never resulted in much.

The countless colonoscopies (the last of which revealed pre-cancerous shenanigans prompting the colectomy.)
Time, like medicine should be employed wisely.
By: Prajim Mannemplavan
Tags: Philosophy, Time, Future, Healing, Wellness

Time is not only the best healer but also the greatest teacher. — Simon King

Sometimes the hardest thing to come by is to take the right step. Times are changing and they always have been. No matter what, changing times are the foundation to our very existence.

The thought crossed my mind. While in search of comfort in what I think I can achieve, I’ve compromised on a lot of what’s literally within my grasp. Having an idea that I’m good at something, and that I could make it big at some point in the future, hasn’t taught me anything new. It’s the thought that I can focus on what’s right in front of me, that gave me all the knowledge of my existence.

I realised, time is like medicine. It should be employed wisely. That being said, what you think you can achieve is not as important as what’s right infront of you.

You are the architect of your life. Build your life from the moment at hand. Dedicate yourself to fully understand your circumstances. Do not set all your hopes on the prospect of a rewarding future. Set your dreams to the moment that you draw every breath.

Hope is the fuel that ignites the power of this moment. Realise that there’s a fine line between investing in the truth and depending on the truth. To hope for a great future is good. To hope that the future has all the answers is folly.

Rely on what’s at hand, and success will follow.

www.ascertinstitute.org
The Heart Grows Weary
By: Daniel A. Teo
Tags: One Line, Time, Prompt, Heartbreak, Poetry

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How Long Is The Now?
By: Harper Thorpe
Tags: Philosophy, One Line, Time, Music, Poetry

How Long Is The Now?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Tried living in the Now,

I’d been stuck in the Past.

Nobody prepared me

the Now wouldn’t last.

(I should’ve asked.)

’Cause the Future arrived,

Now, my moment has passed.

Time Quandary: The Now is the momentary present, that starts at the end of the Past, which is the time already elapsed. Now ends at the beginning of the Future, which is the time yet to come. So, how long is The Now?

©2020 HHThorpe. All rights reserved.
How to Destroy Time Famine With Meditation
By: Shivendra Misra
Tags: Time, Meditation, Mental Health, Self, Spirituality

How to Destroy Time Famine With Meditation

Time = Life. There’s no getting around that fact, is it? The more time you have, the more you can spend it on the things that matter.

But interestingly enough, we seem to have less and less time on our hands. We can get our food delivered, put on a movie, and reply to messages, without even lifting a finger. Thanks to Alexa and the power of voice recognition.

Yet, even though all our needs (and much more) are being met with the least effort in human history, we starve for time. The reason? We’re addicted to getting things done.

Tell me this. Have you ever felt like there’s not enough time in the day? That if only you had 36 or 48 hours, you can get all your work done?

Then you, my friend, know what time famine feels like. Put simply, it’s the feeling of not having enough time to do everything you want to do.

You might not know the name for this feeling till now, but look around and you’ll find almost everyone afflicted with this disease.

As a society, we’ve come to value doing something all the time as a sign of productivity. We’ve forgotten that we’re human beings, not human doings. A major reason behind our addiction to busyness is the link between our self-worth and how busy we appear.

It’s easy to feel satisfied and productive just because you spend 18 hours at the office. I know what that feeling is, and it’s good. But the fact of the matter is, no matter how much time you spend working, there’s always more to do.

In fact, ironically, the people who work the hardest have more things to do than the people who may not work as ‘hard’ (whatever that means).

In the past few decades, many researchers have studied this phenomenon. And why shouldn’t they? When downtime in people’s life ceases to exist and stress levels increase to all-time highs, it’s worth paying attention to.

It’s not that we somehow have a need for distraction greater than the past generations. No. Our need may only be a little higher. But the tools in our hands and pockets make it even easier for that need to express itself at an ever-increasing pace.

Studies show that as a result of working in environments that promote “more is always more”, we instill a reward system in our minds. This reward system makes us peg our value to the amount of time we work for. In such workplaces and cultures, everything is urgent. And when everything is urgent, nothing is.

Thus, workers spend their time focusing on how to reply to every email and IM while barely doing the work they’re being paid for. This leads to a crisis mentality where workers feel “There just isn’t enough time!”
Time’s Up!
By: Heba Abusedou
Tags: Time, Presentations, Design, Holidays, Training

Most people confuse presentation “total time” with “talking time”. Total time usually includes your presentation talking time, delays, interruptions, questions and discussions.

Because you could lose track of time when you present, there are few pre-requisites to keeping your presentations to time. The best and most traditional advice to follow is to use a timer on your phone or use the timer that comes with your presentation software (PowerPoint, Keynote, etc.). It’s best that you do that when you rehearse for your presentation. It’s not uncommon, even for experienced public speakers, to rehearse and time themselves beforehand. Rehearsing your presentation can also you help you edit your content and trim some of the extra unnecessary weight.

Once you’ve created the final draft of your presentation, prepare a timed schedule for each slide. Try to account for interruptions and delays. This will help you determine if you’re ahead or behind during your live presentation. It’s also often helpful to write notes and rehearse them. Most presentation softwares come with presenter notes that I personally find very useful.

Despite all the preparation, things could go wrong, so try to keep an open mind and be flexible. If you realize that you ran out of time and you need to cut things short, skip through the slides that are less important. Remember, nobody knows your content better than you, so you’re the best person to prioritize it.

Our pro-tip of the day for you is . . .

Designed by the author via canva.com

Presentations Pro-Tips

We launched our daily presentations pro-tips exclusively this holidays season. Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Holiday Time is a Good Time to Look For Opportunities
By: Yvon Audet
Tags: Time, Opportunity, Holidays, New Year Resolution, Chance

About work and money

This year was a real challenge for many people across the world. So we have to reinvent ourselves to secure a certain amount of income when needed.

You lost your job, or you do not know if you will keep it for how long so, it is time to search for a new position, safer, in a company classified as essential. It will guarantee your job even if we have to go to lockdown again in the next months to come.

I know that it is not easy and you may have to change entirely to another industry, but it could be a good thing to do for a time. Leave your ego out of the equation. You might be surprised what that change can bring you!

Easy to decide. If it pays more than the unemployment insurance, you know what to do. At least try it. What do you have to lose?

Ask employment agencies or specialized recruiters for help and advice. Most of their services to job seekers are free of charge.

Another way to explore is to sell things you do not use anymore. It is sometimes amazing how much money sleeps in your closets. Sell them online. Easy, free and fast.

“Expect change. Analyze the landscape. Take the opportunities. Stop being the chess piece; become the player. It’s your move.” Tony Robbins

Like this quote from Mr. Harry S. Truman — “Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous skilful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” — You must be this leader for your family and yourself.

About family and friends

Christmas time is always good for reunions. This year the holiday time will be a little quieter and slower than usual. Why don’t you take this time to reconnect with old friends, siblings, and relatives you set aside with the time for any reason?

Maybe in the past, it was for a good reason, but now is it still? Mostly if you feel a weight in your chest when you think about them. It might be a good time to knock at the door if not possible to open it right away. Make the first step. Make this an opportunity to heal an old wound!

It would be best if you also create unforgettable moments with your close family. Do play with your kids. Accept to play their games, become a child again and don’t overthink. Just BE in the moment with them. We do not often have the opportunity to live in a moment to remember!

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Everything is in your power to start a better New Year!
THE BUCKET LIST
By: Tugce Vural
Tags: Wishes, Time, Bucketlist

THE BUCKET LIST

“- Ancient Egyptians had a very nice belief about death. When their souls came to the door of heaven, the gods asked two questions. According to their answer, it was decided whether the person could enter or not.

Well, I was wondering what were those questions?

Have you ever been happy in your life? Has your life ever brought happiness to others?”

The Bucket List was released in 2007 with a screenplay that made many people think about it, starring two legendary names Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.

I have no intention of telling the movie. Briefly, it is about two old men with opposite characters making a list of their wishes and traveling the world together. I can only suggest you to watch this movie which has lines that make a person laugh and sometimes think and wonderful music.

The Bucket List is more than a movie for me …

Maybe, it is an awareness with its questions and suggestions…

It is the source of inspiration for my list, which I think about, highlight some and add new ones at this time of each year.

These days, we are getting ready to leave a different and challenging year behind.

We all learned something from this year. We understood better that we need to take care of our bodies and the importance of staying positive. We realized the value of spending time with our loved ones in the rush of life when we locked ourselves in the house. Some of us discovered new things about themselves, acquired new hobbies.

Some of us have learned to be organized to fit more work in a limited time frame.

In addition to all these, we also realized how much “I wish” sentences we have accumulated in our lives. Either because of our belief patterns (i.e. I can’t) or our postponements …

I do not believe that a life can be lived without “I wish” sentences and I know that we can live our lives with the least “I wish” sentences within the bounds of possibility. That’s why The Bucket List is an awareness for me …

Every year is a new beginning.

How about making your own Bucket list,

to reflect on the things you want to do;

to remind yourself what kind of life you want to live in accordance with your values;

to discover your own buff;

to observe how your priorities have changed over the years;

to get ahead with less “I wish”?

I want to end my article with an excerpt from Engin Geçtan’s “Being Human”.

“Man is a consumer of time. Moreover, this time allocated to us is very limited. But most of us postpone what we want to do as if we had time forever. “

Tugce Vural
How Long?
By: Paula Light
Tags: Grief, Time, Heartbreak, Poetry, Self Care

How Long?

Image credit to Stevebidmead | Pixabay

They ask me how long until

I am over this heartbreak —

When will I be “normal”

And ready to love once more?

So, I try to measure my grief,

And how much is left for the tears

To wash out to the sea.

But sometimes it’s not a mountain —

It’s a shadow, a wraith,

The flip side of faith —

And as limitless as a kiss

On a gold summer’s day.

Time is my strongest boundary,

Dimming the glare of memories

That follow and surround me,

With an expiration date

Somewhere between

Tomorrow and eternity.

When they ask again, I shall reply:

How long does the moon pursue the tide?

How long does a mother protect her child?

How long does the dark promise the night?

I will need

A little

More

Time…
How Not So Cool Man Made Me Fall In Love
By: Sylvia Silvers, Aka Sylvia Astuti Gunawan
Tags: Time, Judgement, Relationships, Fall In Love, Knowledge

I never did think I had brain damage.

~Leon Spinks~

Do you know that bouncing a ball using your head may damage your brain? No one really cares because they can’t see it until it affects their life.

Do you agree that most of our life, we tend to pay attention more to what we can see from outside, not inside? I was surrounding myself with the wrong people who judge each other from the way we look, the way we dress, what brand did we wear from head to toe.

I was spending my time going to the malls, shopping every day, trying to look cool. I ended up struggling with my bills every end of the month and begging for my parent’s help to pay for them.

I never had a wake-up call until 2006 when I met Silver. He was so humble, he didn’t wear any branded stuff. To be honest, I never thought that one day I will become his wife. He was so much different from my previous boyfriend. He didn’t look cool at all.

I didn’t pay attention to him because I hated his mountain sandals. I thought they were the ugliest sandals I’ve ever seen!

We were in the same team for the Dragon boat competition in Taiwan.

One day, we gathered and played games. I had no idea how to answer all of those questions that were being asked. The thing that I knew was about branded stuff and the designer's stories. I felt so embarrassed about myself.

That day, I understood that I made a total mess of myself. I was focusing on how to look cool from the outside and forgot to build my inside part, which is my brain. I spent too much of my time shopping for my outside look because that was the first thing that people notice about me.

Silver may be looking not so cool from the outside, but as soon as he opened his mouth, I was stunned by the knowledge he had. How come one person can be so smart!

When he came and talked to me the next morning, my attitude changed 180 degrees. Somehow, his mountain sandals didn’t bother me anymore. I was more interested in his brain.

“Hey! What makes you know almost every answers to last night’s questions? Teach me about how to be smart like you. I want to have the same knowledge that you have.”

“I’ll finish my work at 4 pm. If you want to, we can meet in front of the School after 4 pm and I’ll bring you to a secret place. I hope you’ll like it.”

“Yes, sure.”

That was it. The day when I started to pay attention to my inner look. That day, Silver brought me to the biggest book store in Taipei. That bookstore became our favorite dating place.

“All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions”

~Leonardo Da Vinci~

I was so grateful that I acknowledged my weakness and did something about it.

Can you imagine my life, if I had kept going on with my old habits? Would all those branded stuff satisfy me, and make me who I am today?

I thank God that I use my time wisely because whatever it is, I will never replenish the time.

Things are things. They will lose their value sooner or later. But knowledge remains for a long long time.

Which one will you choose to grow? Your things or your knowledge?
Como ter um time de desenvolvimento colaborativo e motivado
By: Luiz Felipe
Tags: Time, Programação, Motivação, Prologapp, Feedback

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

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Feerie — E timpul! —. Sighișoara. Poartă spre trecut. Păzită…
By: Diana T.
Tags: Feerie, Time, Sighisoara, Lifestyle, Storytelling

Artisan of words and thoughts. Dedicated in designing a sense of style through ideas meant to illustrate the good and the inspiring beauty in the world. 💜
I Am Ready to Cut Down My Social Media Time. Then What?
By: Nishith Goyal
Tags: Time, Self Improvement, Habits, Self, Social Media

I Am Ready to Cut Down My Social Media Time. Then What?

Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

Sign-off your social media accounts, put WhatsApp on silent, don’t do binge-watching.

How many times do you hear this advice?

The dilemma is what to do after that.

A fair question. Surrounded by a life of “likes,” “Shares,” and “Comments,” it’s a tough decision to keep ourselves out from all the action. If FOMO is for real, it has to do something with human nature. And, to act against human instincts is going to be a tough ask.

Even if you gather all the courage and wisdom to act, the actual fight begins after that.

What to do with this sudden addition of extra time in your life?

I recently experimented with the set of people I work with on my self-improvement platform. It was a quick one day challenge to stay away from any screen time for two hours. It was a Sunday, and I expected it to be a tough challenge for everyone.

I am not too sure about everyone else, but it became tough for me, at least.

The wall clock stared at me like a monster as if asking — “Why are you wasting your time?” And I did not have any answers. I read for a while, played with my daughter, took a nap, did some home cleaning, but still, there was time left.

Those two hours were a fresh perspective. I would not say it was a revelation to me, but it helped me look for alternatives to fill my time to be more productive outside social media.
Metamorphic Causality
By: Bradley J Nordell
Tags: Time, Quantum, Cosmos, Poetry, Causality

Metamorphic Causality

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

I remember when I was fueled by immortal fire

raging from star flames of epochal desires

to rotate the world,

a delicate union of earth and heaven

and yet I was lost after birth

floating relative on my mirth

self-made cross of tattered garments

falling headfirst into greed’s great void

drunkards conditioned life of dharma

and yet am I weaker from

the suffering that bonded to me?

Am I more fragile

than the fractal ice morphing from spring

More delicate than that, “I love.”

spoken too soon.

Perhaps I feel too much

every cosmic raging storm,

hidden desires of polyamorous lust

renders paralytic doubt, I wonder;

who do you truly trust?

god, the blade, or science?

Who do you flee from? The devil in the dark, or

the reflection in your heart?

Fleeing those existential doors, down a hallway

that only grows, now do you finally abhor

time’s laboring breaths?

From the past that made me?

To the yesterday’s that broke me

and the fires that molded me anew?

I do not give up in that darkness

nor did I sleep in the bed

of Lagrangian space

For as I grow, effects proceed me

and blooms from momentum

following the shadows

of my decrepit heart.

Because I will not drink

my dreams away

even when I weep

upon my own Jericho hill

blowing that horn

as my brethren fell

with honor,

with verisimilitude,

with promise

in their iconoclastic

visions, without end —

in the singularity,

of my final wisdom.
Time – the satyrical
By: Solverv Gaul-Berrard
Tags: One Line, Chalkboard Prompt, Time, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

half-horned child of the darkened past—proven bestial time and time again—and the unmistakenly hominid hope of a future, any future, persistenly brighter than the present—and yet it never comes.
The Wanderer
By: Kevin Strauss
Tags: Philosophy, Satire, Time, Holidays, Poetry

Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

“It’s that time of year again: the Yuletide,

A time of ends and beginnings,

Death and new life,

When Nature brings forth darkness and quiet chaos,

And man erects radiant bulbs to strike back,

But still the black melancholy remains,

Lingering forever in the background,

Ready to ensnare us at our moments most vulnerable!

Alas, we are but men!

Who are we to understand the mysterious workings of our own nature?

But look! Over yonder, he comes!

The Wanderer, treading the snow with his slow and steady gait;

His eyes look ever forward, toward the future lights,

While beneath his feet crunch the bones of the past.

His whims are ever-changing like the tides;

His dreams and desires remain unknown, perhaps even to himself;

He is neither man nor beast, he stands apart;

But perchance he is the wisest of us all,

For it is only those who stand without who can truly see what lies within.

Home for the holidays.

But what does home mean to one such as him?

Is it a particular place that so esoterically draws him near?

Or is it the people to which he possess a mysterious affinity?

Or perhaps it is merely a warm fire and good company,

For tis the season when none would dare to lie and cheat and steal.

It is one thing to ask such questions,

But it is another to pursue the answers.

So few are we with true courage and determination;

The warriors of old all retired to their final rest,

Never to awaken.

Nay, modern man is a different breed;

Most would rather be sheep,

So long as they still get fed,

And their wool is bright and glossy.

Ah, do not despair!

I am old.

I think too much,

And do too little.

Perchance this is my curse,

Or perhaps it is my blessing.

Like Father Time himself,

I drift by,

Undeterred,

Until my final rest.

Look dear, at last, he alights at our doorstep;

This eternal nomad, traveler of the ages,

Builder of cities,

And destroyer of many more;

Come, let us greet him with open arms!”

“Hello again. I have returned. Perhaps I’ll stay for a little while.”

“Good, good. Welcome home, my son. And Merry Christmas!”
How Can We Appreciate Time?
By: Terence C.
Tags: Time, Winter, December, Ordinaryterence, Writing

There is a fine line between fishing and doing nothing. We would like to think that we’re fishing, but the truth is we don’t have the line.
Time
By: Jizelle Torres
Tags: Hopelessness, Time, Change, Understanding

Every day feels like a week and yet every week feels like a day. It is like time has a purpose, a purpose to warp itself a way that makes me feel lost, dazed, confused. I feel as if I have lived lifetimes of the same life and yet I am just a month over 20. I know that time is just a concept made by mankind to feel in control, and yet it makes me feel out of control.

I feel like the worst feeling is hope. Hoping that just enough time passes that I begin to understand. Understand what? Well that answer will just come with time. Hoping that enough time passes that I am happy. Hoping that enough time passes where I look forward to waking up instead of feeling as if the upcoming days have already passed. Hoping that enough time passes that time is time.

Is this achievable? Or is will I always feel as out of control and hopeless as I do now. Is there a day where I will wake up and feel as if I know? As if I understand? Only time will tell.
Shivamshu Roy
By: Shivamshu Roy
Tags: Fashion, Time, Python, Artificial Intelligence

in The New York Times
OUR NATURAL PREDATOR
By: Steve Savage
Tags: Predator, Time

by Steve Savage “King of the Beasts”

We have a natural predator, a Great Omnivore that consumes all things.

In the innocence of our limited awareness, we refer to our Predator as aphoristically defined by Ovid in “Metamorphoses” as

“Time, the devourer of all things.”

Our Predator reveals His True Nature to Arjuna in the “Vishwaroopa” in Chapter 11 of the “Bhagavad Gita” as Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu, where he says:

“ Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people.” — Bhagavad Gita, II. The Yoga of Knowledge
When the time gets lost
By: Linde Klop
Tags: Drama, Pain, Time, Surrealism

It was as if an hourglass broke. The pieces were scattered over the river. The glass shards cut into my hands and the grains of sand grazed open my face. The water dragged the escaped time with it, but I remained behind, forgotten on the banks. I don’t know how long I stood there, maybe days or years, or maybe I am still standing there. I don’t know whether I am capable of carrying such anguish. Nothing will ever feel the same again as when the hourglass was still whole. I can’t say anything else than I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I want to pull out the hairs from my head, cry my eyes out until they dry, I want to set fire to the forest, I want to throw bricks through the windows of ambulances, I want nothing.

It is said that God is the eternal, the eternal time, but then my memories of this night will be the devil.
Films that disturbed my childhood
By: Flip Flops To Snow Shoes
Tags: Movie, Generation, Film, Culture, Millennials

Watership Down

Anything with Jim Henson. Now I am a huge fan!

Labyrinth

Dumbo

Fantasia

Anything with technicolour. It still creeps me out!

The Three Lives of Thomasina

The Last Unicorn, was there a live-action version?

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Goonies

Never Ending Story sequels

The secret of Nimh had a scary scene or two, same for the American Tail, Princess Bride

Land Before Time, by then I knew the real story and could identify several dinosaurs

Fern Gully

I cried in Short Circuit

Flight of the Navigator made me love my siblings more but not vice versa

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Tron

Any surprise that my generation grew up to:
Society’s Expectations for 30-something Females: Christmas Edition
By: Carisa S Thought Bubbles
Tags: Christmas, Inspiration, Holidays, Millennials, Inspirational

Society’s Expectations for 30-something Females: Christmas Edition

Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/STX Entertainment

I was watching A Bad Moms Christmas on Christmas Eve, like you do when you are in the middle of a pandemic and live alone in a studio apartment, and although I’m sure the movie would’ve been relatable had I fit its target audience, I didn’t relate, nor did I want to.

I am a 30 year old, single cis-gender woman who is finishing up her second bachelors degree (the first was in Psychology; the second is in Nursing), and I am in no way interested in starting a family. Maybe I didn’t follow the “pathway towards success” trajectory like an achievement-oriented, forward-thinking adult should, but I was growing as a person and trying to figure it all out. My 20s were rough-I barely made enough money to pay for rent, utilities, groceries, and student loans; I lived with terrible roommates; I dated shitty people; and I didn’t know myself, so ultimately I did not get to have as much fun as I wanted to have when I was in my 20s. With one semester of nursing school left and a decent paying job that will provide me with expendable income in the near future, I have a lot of catching up to do.

Needless to say, I’m not ready to grow up like the 34 year old women in the movie who already have 2 kids, a mortgage, and a ton of responsibilities. I’m not ready to live a settled life in the suburbs, and ultimately I’m not ready to stop living for myself. I want to go on exciting outdoor adventures, find my soulmate, travel the world, go to every show imaginable, and do anything else my heart desires. Even the everyday pleasures like climbing, binge watching Netflix, and grabbing drinks with friends are moments I don’t want to give up.

So despite the cultural expectations placed upon us millennials from generations past that claim getting married, having kids, buying a house, and taking on massive responsibilities is what we’re “supposed to be doing,” I will be taking a hard pass on that one. Instead I will be using my time to have as much fun as I possibly can, get my masters degree, find my tribe, stay connected to friends and family, and be the best dog mom I can possibly be.
You are giving me some serious faith in the millennials...
By: Pepper Mcgowan
Tags: Double Standard, Misogyny, Sexism, Millennials, Generation X

You are giving me some serious faith in the millennials... You’re so right about it, the residency requirements for first responders in the boroughs, the plague of social media that is also a watchdog/mirror, the double standards of gender. I have been writing a book on the Pluto in Scorpio generatiion (1984–95) and how if anyone is going to help save this fucked up little rock in the solar system... I’m a decade older than you raised by a well intending pre-boomer mother and who sent mixed messages of *Get an education so you don’t have to depend on a man,”and "Wear something that is more ladylike.... No man wants to marry a girl who dresses like a mechanic and swears like a longshoreman.” But seriously I just love reading your insights and observations of the current climate. They’re all dead on. Older people, including my fellow Gen X ers, seem to love shitting on the millennials but not every one of your demographic is spoiled or entitled or squeamishly triggered by every single unpleasant event and experience in the world because people don’t seem to understand or remember that the world you were born into wasn’t very bright and beautiful to begin with. The economy wasn’t great, the crime rate was skyrocketing, families were ever fragmenting since the’70s and for the first time in history simply having sex could be fatal. So I have to say what you came out of taken into consideration, you’re pretty goddamn resilient and I am sorry that this world wasn’t better when you got here or even when I did but maybe collectively we’ll be able to improve the odds for the children we ourselves didn’t and won’t have and their children so it will be less of a... dumpster fire that some homeless guys are pissing pure gasoline into, one can hope. And I managed to write that whole bunch of run-on sentences with consonants, vowels, and spaces yet never once use the words “woke" or “namaste." That’s another way of telling my vintage and I’m good with that.
The New Generation of Leaders: Reshaping Organizations
By: John Clements Consultants
Tags: Leadership, Generation Z, Organizations, Training, Millennials

The New Generation of Leaders: Reshaping Organizations

Millennials, Generation X & Z’s — the natives in tech and the character-driven leaders. Baby boomers are currently still making up the workforce but with the rapid growth of technology, everything is changing by the minute. These rising trailblazers are inevitable and are everywhere as they forge new paths, cross boundaries and create change. The New Gen leaders are unstoppable and quite stubborn as they choose to do things their own way most of the time. Young leaders are ambitious and are willing to work hard, but they make sure they are not compromising work-life balance or their authenticity. Organizations should be able to adapt to these youngsters’ expectations and ways if they want business sustainability.

I, being a millennial, always believe that it is possible to have a successful career as a leader without sacrificing efficacious personal and family life. What I see is that young leaders nowadays prefer to avoid politics and game-playing, which I think was practiced in the past. New Gen leaders are strong believers of retaining the authenticity of their personality — which at times makes them wonder whether their organization would allow them to show such authenticity.

Therefore, organizations should be able to create a rigorous professional development program which focuses on the fundamentals of leadership like budgeting, dealing with difficult people — especially someone who is senior to them in age and tenure, and how to lead a difficult discussion with diverse members. Organizations should also be able to take deliberate steps to recast lingering obsolescent ideas about leadership and should be able to support young leaders by adapting to different technologies as a main medium in exercising leadership and doing things.

Most importantly, organizations should be able to communicate to potential leaders that they will have the opportunity to define their own way of leadership that meets their expectations of authenticity and work-life balance.

Today’s leaders have different expectations and organizations should be willing to take the risk in changing their traditional ways, learning to embrace technology and the wholeness of the new generations’ ways to attract the best leaders of the future.
I Paid Off Over $30k in Debt in 2020. Here’s How…
Tags: Millennial Debt, Debt Free Journey, Debt Relief, Millennials, Millennial Money

At the beginning of the year I set a goal for myself to pay off a portion of my $55,000 debt, not knowing that the year 2020 would bring a year full of financial uncertainty due to the unforeseen pandemic.

As most millennials, my debt is a variation of credit card debt, a lingering student loan, and not one but two car loans. Rather than working with the income my boyfriend and I already brought to the table, I searched for ways to make more money, I thought this was the answer to all my problems. I applied for higher paying positions and I attempted to go back to school only to find out, not even Sallie Mae would accept my bad credit. I’m going to be completely honest, this broke me, I felt like a failure, that even in my futile attempt to create a better life for myself the universe was saying I was not worthy. So I wiped my tears and went back to the drawing board. How was it that two Mexican immigrants, one with nothing more than an elementary school education, could come to the United States, buy a house, and live better than their daughter, a college graduate?

I dove into all the YouTube financial videos I could soak up. I watched endless reels of Dave Ramsey yelling at people who were living above their means and telling them to suck it up, pay their debts, and live on rice and beans until their debts were paid. I found comfort in Aja Dang, crying because her student loan was over $200k and thinking if she can do it then what is stopping me? That’s when the fun began.

I created a spreadsheet, listed all of my boyfriend and my debts, created a debt snowball template and got to work. We combined our incomes despite the fact that we live in separate households and split all the bills, they were no longer mine or his, they were our debts. I waited until I secured $1000 as an emergency fund in our checking account and from then on split each paycheck as 20–30–50, 20% savings or debt pay off, 30% spending split between the both of us as our allowance for the week (food, gas, personal necessities), and 50% bills. The 20% we were setting aside was strictly to pay off outstanding debts, starting with the smallest and working our way up to the largest. The 50% was to pay monthly recurring bills, sustenance you might say anything left over would go into the debt pay off account.

We are truly blessed to still be able to have our full time jobs and haven’t taken a hit to our salaries. With that being said, this pandemic was a blessing in disguise for us. We were able to pay more than half our balances off and are going into 2021 with a higher net worth. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Neither one of us added to our salaries but we have more money now than we have had in the past five years. Hopefully in the next few months I can say I am debt free, but for now, I’m content with what we have accomplished.