I’m writing this post on New Year’s Eve, and for the first time in my life, my hope for the new year is that it would linger. Like so many of us, I’ve spent most of my days thinking about what comes next, always eager for the next milestone: the promotion, the degree, the spouse, the children. Maybe it’s my thirtieth birthday smiling at me from March, or that I want to soak up every minute of these falling-in-love days, or the gentle learning that the milestones aren’t always the mountaintops I expect them to be, but I’m feeling an invitation to linger a while longer in each moment, in each day, in each year.

I think I’ve longed for this kind of presence most of my life, but my busy mind and my twin drives to create and influence made me an easy target for two mostly unhelpful narratives: there isn’t enough time to do all that is asked of us, and rest is found only when the work is done. When stories like these have made well worn grooves in our minds, it can be hard to imagine or conceptualize another way to move through the world. Blessedly, the man I love is very good at this in a way I am not, and I am learning from his example every day.

Sometimes, when we are walking, he will tug at my hand ever so gently and give me a little smile, and invite me to slow down. And often, I realize that I was cantering down the sidewalk for no reason at all, inadvertently wishing the precious moments of togetherness away. Maybe we don’t need more time, we just need to live the time we have a little better.

In another turn, I often find myself playing the game where I rush to finish all the work so I’ll finally have time to rest and play. I see so many people live like this, but it seems we are all on a beach, scooping dry sand from holes that insist on refilling. Our futile digging leaves us feeling depleted and wrapped in scarcity, because as our days fill with work they also fill with the painful calculus of watching our time for joy dwindle. We are left believing that there isn’t enough time, because we feel that there isn’t enough time for work and for rest.

But what if we had exactly enough time for the work we are meant to do? What if we didn’t insist on pulling tomorrow’s tasks into today in a hopeless effort to “get ahead” enough to take a breath? What if when we were with the people who are most precious to us, or while we are taking a walk, or driving our cars, we didn’t try to solve the problems of six months from now? What if today has enough trouble of its own? It turns out Matthew’s gospel had the secret all along: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

We are creatures made for rhythms: sunrise and sunset, winter and summer, days of work and days of rest, all woven together, not in big divided chunks of work and play. There are moments of ease in even the most stressful seasons, but we have to practice calming ourselves enough to sit in them. I think for most of us this will take practice.

And of course, some seasons are easier to sit in than others. There are many years of this past decade that I happily wished away, but I’m also beginning to understand just how fast it all goes if you let it, and I am increasingly compelled to sit in the garden of my life and smell the flowers, and feel the sun, and talk to God, and hold Patrick’s hand. Maybe you can find a little garden time this year too instead of accidentally wishing the days away with anxiety or anticipation. Right here is good; right now is a gift. Happy New Year.

7 Comments

  1. Dawn Hendriksen

    Beautiful truths and reminders. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Ansley Kelly

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!

      Reply
  2. Dean D. Ziegler

    “Scooping dry sand from holes that insist on refilling” Great metaphor, Ansley. Reminds me of Sisyphus pushing his rock up the hill over, and over, and over. That myth – as Camus told it – was about creating meaning for ourselves in spite of a meaningless universe while your story is about finding leisurely moments of joy in life in spite of our ever-unfinished goals, lists, and labors.

    A time management guru (a Christian) once quipped, “There’s always enough time to do the complete will of God.” That has stuck with me for 50 years.

    When I read the Gospel narratives I’m struck that Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. He truly lived that “always enough time” maxim. Several stories, even, tell of people who became offended that Jesus did NOT hurry to intervene in some urgent circumstance.

    Something to ponder. Thanks again for another great piece.

    Reply
    • Ansley Kelly

      Oooh I love that quote! Thank you for sharing and for reading!

      Reply
    • Savannah

      “Maybe we don’t need more time, we just need to live the time we have a little better” is a gem I didn’t know I needed — both convicting and reassuring. Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Joseph R Mineo

    Patrick is one lucky man! And by the sounds of it, you are one lucky lady! Best wishes for a Healthy, Joyful, and Blessed 2025!

    Reply
    • Ansley Kelly

      I’m very lucky indeed! I hope you find the same joy and health in the new year!

      Reply

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