Last week Marita assigned us an
exercise where we were to reflect on our personal and work values in life. She
also assigned various articles focused around multitasking and American values.
At home I feel distracted by everything- what assignment I have to do next, who
I have to text back, what my plans are this weekend, what classes I have to
take to graduate, what I am even going to DO after I graduate? There
is this incredible stress on time that I find myself worrying about so much
that I don't even realize I'm worrying about it. I recognized that throughout
my college years I have placed so much emphasis on what has to get done than
actually enjoying the process of completing something.
However after reading the articles,
I have learned that time is not just something that I worry about, it is a
value that is of the upmost importance in American society. While this could be
seen as an awesome thing if you are thinking in terms of productivity, at the
same time it could also distract us from opportunities such as developing a new
relationship, recognizing how beautiful that rhododendron bush outside your
house looks with the sun hitting it, or how pleasant your cashier at Stop &
Shop was.
Cape Town has definitely given me a
break with this whole time thing, by living on that sweet, sweet African time
(where time is an extremely flexible and relaxed concept... expect things to be
done at least 15 minutes after it is supposed to be done). I have taken the
time to stop and chat with the homeless people outside my work everyday, to
draw in my sketchbook, to write a little poem, to stop and buy flowers from the
woman on the corner, to chat with the person next to me while in line for food.
And I am not allowing time to consume my thoughts. After all, worrying is only
planning for a negative future, right?
I also questioned from the list I
created of things that I value (positivity, thankfulness, creativity, equality,
openness, community.. just to name a few), how often am I acting on these? This
weekend 12 of us went to a small music festival "The Flamjangled Tea
Party" outside of Cape Town on a beautiful farm called Elandskloof. On
Saturday Caitlin, Dani & I discovered this beautiful stream (a scene
that could EASILY be in a fairytale) while we were exploring the grounds.
Luckily I packed my watercolors, so we each took a seat and painted the
beautiful landscape while conversing about our thoughts and feelings about our
trip in South Africa thus far and what we have learned. It was extremely
refreshing to not have anywhere to be but the present- to not worry about
planning skydiving, scuba diving, or hiking trips. I've always been a firm
believer of always living in the present, but at times in our society it almost
too easy to become distracted.
Although deciding my top 10 values
for Marita's assignment was a bit difficult (I could write a list of 1000
things if you'd let me) I am super thankful that she gave us this assignment to
complete because it has grounded me and reminded me what I truly place close to
my heart in a world full of direction and distractions.
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