Monday 16 February 2009

One more hour...

I read a blog today about not having enough time in the day and it started me thinking about all the things we always want to accomplish but never seem to have the time to do. This question fascinates me so, I decided to Google it and it would seem that 80% of people would catch up on sleep.

The thing about that is would that extra hour really make a difference to how tired we all are? I know that I am tired most of the time – for example, if I take my car to the car wash to remove “toddler” from all over the windows and seats, I normally fall asleep in the 10 minutes it takes to get through the machine. In fact, I have become so good at it that I nod off pretty much as soon as the wash starts and sleep quite happily until I hear the familiar “woosh” noise of the water being switched off – It just occurred to me as I was writing this how absurd this must seem to everyone outside my car; on the other hand, the fact that I have a booster seat and baby seat in the back leads me to believe that perhaps people would understand when they see a women slumped over her steering wheel whilst in the middle of the car wash!

Anyway, back to the topic..

If the question is what you would do with a 25th hour, then we have to set some rules. Firstly, you cannot use it to catch up on sleep. Secondly, you are not allowed to use it to “do the right thing” – in other words, you may not use it to vacuum the house, study for an exam, or pack the children’s lunch for the next day. If you had a 25th hour to spend just on something for yourself, something indulgent, just because you could, then what would it be?

I have to be honest and say, I would have a difficult time choosing between two things. The first would be to use this time for a little pampering for myself – which would probably translate into a regular facial, waxing and a massage or 27. The second (and my first choice) would be to take myself off to my local library and spend the time pouring over old books in the peaceful setting of a library. So many people do not read anymore, and those who do read are often just getting through a page or two before falling asleep at night. I would love to sit in a library with my phone switched off and all my cares forgotten while I discover some of the wonders of the world of books. People do not really visit libraries anymore. Why should we when we have all the information we need at our fingertips? I think this is a very sad fact, as holding a really old book, smelling the paper and becoming lost in its world is an experience that no computer screen will ever deliver.

So those would be my choices.. What would you do with your 25th hour?

1 comment:

Laura Jayne said...

I would write, then write some more. And then I would read and read some more. Only an hour... can I have twenty-five extra hours for this and just one for work and house cleaning?