Where Does the Time Go?

One of my goals in retirement is to live a stress-free life. Things, of course, happen - problems inevitably occur. But I no longer want to rush around, wondering how I will ever finish all I need to do - as I did in my working life, especially the last few years.

But I also don't want to spend my days lounging around, listless, lacking in purpose.

That is why the monastic schedule created by St. Benedict 1,600 years ago intrigues me. Time is scheduled for work, study, reading, prayer and recreation - which could mean going for a walk or simply relaxing. Work needed to be done, and everyone shared in it - but other aspects of life were viewed as essential, too.

So I found it interesting to read the comments of Canadian journalist Jane Christmas (in her book, And Then There Were Nuns) about life in a twenty-first century convent.

"In the secular world, the hours bled into one another indiscriminately, whereas in the convent, each hour had its purpose... For the first time in my life, I was taking tea breaks... Two hours was the longest block of time devoted to work... 
"As the sun drifted down to the horizon I never asked, "Where did the time go?" because I knew exactly where it had gone... I could account for every hour... and this brought a wonderful clarity and appreciation to life."

Her schedule?

6 a.m. Wake up, dress, quiet prayer
7:15 Lauds [morning prayer in the chapel]
8:00 Breakfast [in silence]/cleanup
9:00 Work
11:00 Tea
11:20 Work
12:00 Midday prayer [in chapel]
1:00 Dinner [in silence]/clean up/quiet time
2:30 Work
4:30 Tea
4:45 Work
6:00 Compline [evening pray in chapel]
7:00 Supper [in silence]/cleanup
8:00 Read/free-time
9:00 Compline [prayer in chapel at the end of the day]
9:30 Bed time

Her schedule leans more heavily into "work" than I remember St. Benedict's original schedule doing - though "work" does only add up to about 6 hours, the same as Benedict's did. In addition, she had one day "off" every week. No need to show up for any group activities on that day!

The disorganized person I am loves the idea of a schedule - a gentle schedule that reminds me that there are things to be done - but a schedule that doesn't make me a slave to work... or to anything else, for that matter!