This week’s photo challenge is Time.
Guest photo challenge host Lignum Draco asks us to show him the time.
Lignum Draco’s photo is phenomenal. You can see it here.
My offering below is, for me, a kind of zen moment in time. I consider myself time-challenged; a person who is constantly at odds with time, fighting it, running from it or chasing it, except…when I must wait for the railroad crossing.
In the case of this photo, the light rail crossing. I know when I see the flashing reds lights, there simply is no other place that I can be. Surprisingly, I don’t worry about being late or think about what lies ahead. Instead, I just settle in and watch the train. (And in this case, snap a photo!)
I took this photo about a month ago. I suppose my future self knew that I should take this picture for a future challenge. See, it’s about trusting yourself. Perhaps, if you listen, your future self will give you the answers.
For more entries for this challenge, visit the Weekly Photo Challenge site.
I just hope my future self will have the sense to stay off the tracks. Terrific photo, Amy. Even your time spent waiting for the train to pass was something you turned to your advantage.
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Well, I should hope so, Stephen. Stay away from those tracks. Thank you! I’m trying to make the best use of my time and make it count. I just thought it might make a cool photo.
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Well, it did.
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I like trains…what more can I say. Cool photo.
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Thank you, Anthony. I’ve always liked trains, too.
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I think I share your battle with time, Amy… although all of the red traffic lights I come across seem to be telling me things differently! I’m going to ask my future self a question or two – I like the sound of that idea!
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Oh, do Tom! See what happens. The important thing is to not talk back to your future self. Don’t question what he tells you and you’ll do fine. He may surprise you! 🙂
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Yes, there’s not much we can do when a train is crossing. We just have to be patient. It’s the same way when a gaggle of geese cross the road. We just have to smile and watch them waddle across.
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Right, Carrie. I think of it as the pause button and sometimes we may need it, but don’t give ourselves that little break. I enjoy watching animals cross the road. We get turkeys around here and sometimes they walk really slow. But that’s ok with me.
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It’s hard not to smile when a momma bird is walking her baby birds across the street. So cute. 🙂
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The babies are the sweetest. 🙂 They are worth the wait!
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Really, really like the picture and I think it really captures well the sense of being time challenged as you describe it. I feel the same way
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Thanks, Mark. Glad you like it. I’m forever time challenged, but then I realize it’s all for naught. Time just ticks away no matter what!
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No!! I need that time!! 😉
My biggest issue is that there simply is not enough time in the day for me to do the things I would like to do, so I end up not doing much of any of those things.
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I know what you mean. Where does the time go? I guess we can’t do it all though. We have to pick and choose and make the most of our decisions. I always try to write and read something because that is always a good use of my time. 🙂
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Reading is always a part of my free time as well. The biggest problem is that, for various reasons, I feel frozen on a lot of the other stuff, so I just end up wasting my limited free time doing not much of anything.
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And…it’s so easy to do, is it not??!! Sooo easy these days. Some days I just want to throw my phone across the room. It’s such a time waster.
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That’s exactly it. Technology makes it far too easy to be distracted. I really, really need to change the dynamic of it all for me.
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How about some limits? This is why I still read paperbacks. You know, books I can hold in my hands.
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I don’t know what the solution is these days. The reality is that when it comes time to read, that’s what I do, whether it’s a paperback or an e-book. The biggest problem is finding the energy and motivation to do the more meaningful things with my free time. There are a number of reasons I’m struggling with this, many of them long-standing — work-related stress, family issues, marital issues, just a whole lot of things — that make it very difficult to choose anything other than the easy way out these days. It’s actually something I talked with a co-worker about today. She gave me some advice about a decision I need to make and it was spot on and really involves me getting back to a place I was up until a few years ago — leaving my job behind when I’m not there, detaching from it, and filling my free time with those good things. I haven’t been able to do that for some time and it’s time for me to get back to it. Gotta do it or I’m just going to wither away.
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Do it, Mark. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. That it might feel a tad overwhelming when you try to process it all – that is, all the many things you want to do with your off time. Let’s face it. It’s probably not enough time. So, you have to decide what things are the things you really want to do. If you bite off too much, it’s easy to sit back and not tackle anything! Go for something small first! I mean, make it manageable. Something you can do that won’t be too daunting. I hope that’s good advice and it helps.
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I just need to stop wallowing. 😉 Don’t know if you remember the movie Dead Poet’s Society, but in that movie they refer to Carpe Diem. Seize the day. In a small way, not in some grand life-altering way, I need to take back my free time and make it something real and meaningful again. I look back to all the things I did ten years ago and fifteen years ago and look at what I do now and it’s really disappointing what has happened. And I need to stop beating myself up about that. 🙂 This is my mission, starting today. Thanks for listening and thanks for the advice, which was good.
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Yes, stop beating yourself up. That is NOT a good use of your time. This is the way I think about it. When you reflect on life, I think what you often think about the smaller moments, the ones you didn’t even know you were expecting to have. So, I think there’s something to be said for letting go of too many expectations. Because if you do that, you won’t be able to enjoy those small moments that actually mean a whole lot.
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Great shot that really captures the sense of speed and time passing. Nice image, Amy.
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Thanks so much, Jane. I appreciate it.
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Nice to see where the topic of tim took you. Thank you for joining in.
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Thank you and thanks so much for stopping by! It was a great topic.
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Fab shot and inspiring words, Amy. I wish you a good and save TIME. Reinhold
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Thank you, Reinhold. Thanks for your inspiring words. Enjoy your time too, no matter how you spend it!
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Is that light winking?
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Haha. Maybe it is, Mark. That brightened my day. Thanks.
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