Who amongst us has not frequently said, "If only I had more time ..."

My musings on this issue lead me to write this little fable:

On a dark and drizzly morning long, long ago, two ancients named Tick and Tock peered out of their cave entrance. Tick said to Tock, "I'm bored; let's play a game." Tock agreed and they began to create the rules for a new game called Time. First, they drew symbols which they called numbers and found surprising ways to incorporate them into the game. Quite pleased with the fun of playing with these new numbers, Tick invented Seconds, Minutes, Hours, and then Day. "24" was the biggest number he thought he would ever need to create. But Tock outdid him. He declared that 365 Days would equal a Year.

When all the rules were finalized, Tick and Tock found a bug. Playing the game yielded 365 1/4 Days for the newest level called Year. They laughed and added a twist to the rules by throwing in an extra day every four years. Tock wanted to name it after the funniest thing he'd ever seen - Tick jumping about after being bitten by fire ants. Leap Year was born.

The game caught on like wild fire. Although Tick and Tock were very pleased that other people were playing their game, they were amazed that it was not being treated like a game. People had suddenly become very serious and were rushing around complaining that they did not have enough time. Tick and Tock decided they would share with their community how and why they created the game. They felt certain that if everyone knew it was fashioned on a boring morning when they were just creating something fun to do, the new uptightness would go away. To their shock, the behavior continued. Over and over again they heard, "Time is not a game; it is very real. There's lots to do, and we cannot spend anymore time discussing this with you. We are late."

Disgruntled that their invention had taken such a sour turn, Tick and Tock went home and decided to create a new game where people would only concern themselves with being in the Now.

Sadly, the new game was not very popular. Despite hiring a publicist, sales of the Now lagged. Tick and Tock hoped their new ad campaign would do the trick and the Now would catch up with Time in popularity. Being wise men, they didn't really care when it happened. They were not in any rush and both knew that the Now would eventually catch up to the game of Time.

This Sunday is February 29th - that extra day that happens every four years. If you were to create a game around your time on Sunday, will you choose to feel overwhelmed OR choose to be in the Now, treasuring the thousands of moments you have.

Warmly,

Jason Stein