Time

 

 

Always time for my beer cat and constant companion.
 Jinx is a real example of being present.
Cats only care about the now.

What do we all wish we had more of and eventually run out of? What is the most precious commodity on earth that some people have a lot of and others get almost none?

Time.

 

I constantly hear people talk about how busy they are and how they have no time. Granted if you have kids or two jobs you are probably pressed for some alone time, but it's the context of that "busyness" that makes me wonder.

I sat down one day and tried to plan some time to work on the various Drunk Polkaroo irons I have in the fire. Between work, sleep and my chores, I figured out that I have four to five hours a day for myself. That's pretty outstanding in my books and yet I am always feeling pressured to do more. I know part of it is procrastination, who doesn't get caught up in a Netflix marathon every now and then or a good book. The black hole of the internet and where that can take you is one of my biggest weaknesses. I can get lost for hours reading other peoples blogs, researching beer related things and general nonsense. Wikipedia can gobble up an hour in the blink of an eye.

My issue always comes with catching myself and others complaining about how we have no time. I have been honest with people before when they tell me they haven't seen me in a while and try to let me off the hook with " I know you're busy". I tell them that I'm just as busy as they are, but lazy and a poor planner of my free time. I think that is true of most people, you try to make time for what is important and excuse yourself from anything else with fooling yourself that you're just too busy to do anything about it.

I've been pondering this problem for a while now and it is part of getting north of 40 that triggers my wanting more time. I can look back on what time I've already squandered and know that I only have a finite time left to accomplish something with my life. Not that I think I've wasted my life, just took a different path to arrive at the same spot. Wool gathering about the past is a dangerous place to go and I'll just move on. The big thing is how to make the most of what I've got left and the best way to do that is to be in the present more. That's a constant theme of my beer travels and the one thing I can control about my life.

Sometimes beer reminds you of the past and you just go with it.
Sawdust City won a Gold at the OBA and it took me to my first trophy as a kid.
Little Norway Pale Lager. 

I am constantly trying to be on top of my game when it comes to enjoying the moment and when I sit down to write my nightly beer reviews, I take stock of where I am and where I want to go. I use the past, present and future to illustrate the brew in my glass and that has led me to some interesting places indeed. Because the beer always demands my attention to figure out what it is trying to tell me, my mind becomes focused and calm with the flavours and textures speaking to me. When I was a guy who pounded 15 or 20 Coors Light's a night, the only thing I could think of was how much I hated everything and wanted the sweet release of the blackout. No longer is that a goal and one I can use beer as a solution to.

Beer as dessert and a great slow sipper.
Dinner out with friends and family is as great use of my time!
Stranger than Fiction from Collective Arts.

Big, slow sipper beers are ones that have a high alcohol content and demand some respect. Anything north of 7 % is in this category for me and when I pour these big boys into my glass, I can slow down and be present. Mindful drinking is part of utilising my time better and enjoying what I have more. But I now find myself slow sipping almost every beer I have so I can work on something, be it the blog, reviews, videos or future plans. I still feel pressured to be more things than I am comfortable with, but for those few moments when the beer hits my lips, time stops and I get to just be me.

It's funny to think that the cause of my biggest problems for more than 20 years can be used as a solution to them now, but it's true. It takes dedication to the principals I have given myself, but it is possible to remake your beer drinking life, no matter your age. Utilizing time as a measure of what is important to you allows you to plan better the future you want to see happen. I work very hard to make each minute count and while I may feel like the walls get close sometimes, I push back with hope and dreams.

 But still the feeling of needing more time persists and I know you feel it too. I am not sure what we can do except put a stop to all the ridiculous attempts to "Have it all" and be content with what we have. Strive for a better life, but don't ignore the amazing things you already have. Maybe you should sit back, crack a beer and just enjoy it all. It's okay to watch the world go by sometime and when you stop and look, you may be surprised by how much more time you have. Slow sipping beats macro pounding any day. Stay present my friends.
Raise your glass and your Standards.

Cheers!