The Shortest Day of the Year

Yesterday, December 21, was the shortest day of the year.  Well, that is not true.  All of  our days are about 24 hours, including the nighttime hours.  So, December 21 is the day with the fewest daylight hours during the year.

One of the things I have noticed in West Texas that the daylight hours drastically change even within a few days of the winter solstice. The same is true of the summer solstice, but the summer days are really, really long compared to those of Western Massachusetts. I am not sure that the winter days drastically lengthen after the solstice where I grew up in the northeast, but then, I am not sure I ever really paid attention to that sort of thing.  Now, I do.

But what this brings to mind is when people say "There are not enough hours in the day."  or "I don't have the time someone else does."   Those statements do not make sense.  There are always 24 hours in the day.  The problem people experience is that they do not plan well or anticipate time required, for the most part, when they set their expectations for the day.  And, when things come up unexpectedly, or things take longer than anticipated, they do not adjust their expectations accordingly. 

I think, personally, that it is some of the "I want it all" mentality that so prevails in our culture. People do "want it all."  So, when something interferes with that plan of having it all, they do not adjust their expectations or desires accordingly, and find themselves falling "short of time" when really what they did was over-anticipate what was realistic in the time frame allowed, given the interferences of the day.

I find that I am frequently re-evaluating my situation at work and in my personal life so I can make an adjustment for what I want and what I have time for.  I do not fret or stew over this re-evaluation, and frequently "do it on the fly,"  or do it without really stopping to dwell on it. I also find that I am not as frustrated about these changes in plans as I once was.

I never have a day that is too short, I just have a day in which I get less done than what I had planned.