The quote "There is a time and place for everything," as well as the quotes that are, at least in my mind, connected to it (such as "everything has its place" and "all in good time") just popped into my head for some reason.
Now, I am used to things popping into my head. Things pop in, pop around, make random connections, and, with a disturbing frequency, make me wonder what strange neuro-pathways my brain has created in the last 20-odd years. How is it that one piece of random information, or one quick sentence, can trigger a memory or a thought that is completely separate from the preceding thought? Worrisome.
That rant is just one example, but I will now address the quote that popped into my head just now. It popped in, completely unprovoked, but before it had time to pop out I took a moment to consider it. And decided that I did not like it at all.
As I think about it, it seems like something a grandmother would say. Not a mean grandmother, but the type of grandmother who preaches patience and hard work and children being seen and not heard (the first two aren't so bad, but I prefer grandmothers who preach the virtues of cookies and homemade apple pies myself, and I'm not good at the seen-and-not-heard thing). If I were to live my life by the idea that "there is a time and a place for everything," I feel like I would too often use that as an excuse. "There is a time and a place to write." "There is a time and a place to get published." "I'll finish my rough draft all in good time." "This is not the place to take a nap"--okay, perhaps that one is one I should pay more attention to.
Although I can objectively see the value in "there is a time and a place for everything," I do not believe that I will adopt this as my motto. I think that I need a more proactive motto. One that will encourage me to work hard right now to achieve my goals.
And if anyone knows of a saying that can help me with that, please let me know. I could use it.
--J.R.
Now, I am used to things popping into my head. Things pop in, pop around, make random connections, and, with a disturbing frequency, make me wonder what strange neuro-pathways my brain has created in the last 20-odd years. How is it that one piece of random information, or one quick sentence, can trigger a memory or a thought that is completely separate from the preceding thought? Worrisome.
That rant is just one example, but I will now address the quote that popped into my head just now. It popped in, completely unprovoked, but before it had time to pop out I took a moment to consider it. And decided that I did not like it at all.
As I think about it, it seems like something a grandmother would say. Not a mean grandmother, but the type of grandmother who preaches patience and hard work and children being seen and not heard (the first two aren't so bad, but I prefer grandmothers who preach the virtues of cookies and homemade apple pies myself, and I'm not good at the seen-and-not-heard thing). If I were to live my life by the idea that "there is a time and a place for everything," I feel like I would too often use that as an excuse. "There is a time and a place to write." "There is a time and a place to get published." "I'll finish my rough draft all in good time." "This is not the place to take a nap"--okay, perhaps that one is one I should pay more attention to.
Although I can objectively see the value in "there is a time and a place for everything," I do not believe that I will adopt this as my motto. I think that I need a more proactive motto. One that will encourage me to work hard right now to achieve my goals.
And if anyone knows of a saying that can help me with that, please let me know. I could use it.
--J.R.
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