Dear Pneuma,

It seems to me that me and my neighbors are too busy; so busy we hold onto routines and dogmas, onto fixed rotations of to do's, been done's, and still needs doing's just to have a way to mark the time; so busy we only steal time to be together by checking our email, reading our friends' blogs, and watching the newsfeed pages to which we subscribe; so busy, we can only unwind our sorrows with more activity.

We convince ourselves that time is within the range of our control, and then lose the time to be:

Be with others.

Be present.

Be happy.

Be sad.

Be rested.

Be restful.

Be kind.

Being this busy is an ugly habit because it suggests that worth is measured in things done. It tells us that when we allow time to overtake us, we become failures. It says that broken routines are evil-that dancing a step out of time is wrong. We not only forget in ourselves how to play, we teach our children that they are not to play. Our importance begins to outweigh our meaning, and Time becomes a mad rush through the museum, so intent on seeing everything, we remember nothing at all.

Managing time

Controlling time

Measuring time

Beating time

These are all ways to kill our joy.

I believe the great revelation of God is IAM: a statement of now being. Time is not tomorrow. Time is not yesterday. Time is today, and only today. Are you doing today what you hope to do tomorrow? Are you reaching out today where you intend to reach out tomorrow? Are you risking today what will be worth risking tomorrow? Are you feeling today what you will take time to feel tomorrow? Are you loving today the people you might meet tomorrow? Are you being today what you want to be tomorrow?

Here's to a life lived in Time,

Cobalt Dreams