World, Writing, Wealth discussion

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The Lounge: Chat. Relax. Unwind. > Is there enough time in life for everything or sacrifices are inevitable?

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message 1: by Nik (last edited Nov 10, 2021 05:36AM) (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments The longevity is always an unknown, but statistics say it's usually a pretty long time, average close to 80 years now. At that, the time flies and we often put things aside and never do them. Sometimes it's because of the costs, but pretty often because we lack time for something we want to do.
We can never get to reading a book we wanted, vacationing somewhere or even visiting an aunt just few blocks away..
Yet, there are these charts, which attempt to calculate our time-spending, like this one:
https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matter...
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/20-s...
If to believe the above estimates: I know I'm saving a lot of time on sleeping, cooking and cleaning. On the other hand I'm probably overspending on toilet and bathroom -:)
I think another division could be on things we enjoy and on things we don't. And here, I'm not sure even the happiest of us would ever come close to 20% on enjoyable activity/passivity.
So, is there enough time for most things during this 80 years average?


message 2: by [deleted user] (new)

Never enough time!

Will I be able to write more books in the afterlife?


message 3: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Michel wrote: "Never enough time!

Will I be able to write more books in the afterlife?"


Another unknown and I'm not sure Amazon extends its platform that far -:)
But one still retains copyright for 50-70 years of the afterlife


message 4: by Bernard (new)

Bernard Boley (bernard_boley) | 126 comments It all comes down to each individual's priorities and the choices he makes. One thing for sure, as far as I'm concerned, is that once you retire, time passes way faster than you think.

I retrired when I was 58 (11 years ago) and now, I do whatever I want to do when I want to do it and with whom I want to.

It's like being a kid in a candy store. You just can't eat everything at the same time. You grab as much as you can, fill you pockets and eat the stuff as fast and as often as you can.


message 5: by kavi ~he-him~ (new)

kavi ~he-him~ (spideykavi) | 145 comments too many things and so little time :(


message 6: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Bernard wrote: "It's like being a kid in a candy store. ..."

Retirement sounds fun -:)


message 7: by [deleted user] (new)

Less the arthritis!


message 8: by Marie Silk (new)

Marie Silk | 1025 comments Life is short even if you live to be 80. It's probably enough time to enjoy things if you start early.


message 9: by Ian (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments You can certainly enjoy life, but you cannot do everything. Pick what you want to do and be happy.


message 10: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments When you're young and hustling, you sacrifice personal time. I think that's always the case. Once you accomplish most of your goals, usually around 50, you have time and money enough to make up for those sacrifices made on the way up. I think it balances out, if you live long enough and have the sense to begin enjoying life.


message 11: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Scout wrote: "When you're young and hustling, you sacrifice personal time. I think that's always the case. Once you accomplish most of your goals, usually around 50, you have time and money enough to make up for those sacrifices made on the way up. I think it balances out, if you live long enough and have the sense to begin enjoying life...."

The problem with that is that reaching any age is never guaranteed.. I'd say: never stop enjoying life, even when most of it is spent on something less wanted, but pragmatically accepted..


message 12: by Ian (last edited Mar 05, 2017 09:19AM) (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments Nik wrote: "Scout wrote: "When you're young and hustling, you sacrifice personal time. I think that's always the case. Once you accomplish most of your goals, usually around 50, you have time and money enough ..."

I think that worrying about what you might or might not achieve is a waste of time. You have no idea what the future might bring. By all means make plans, but as the Romans put it, Carpe Diem - Sieze the Day.


message 13: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments I was wrong to say that it's always the case that young people hustle and sacrifice. Never say always. Or never :) But I would say that people with great work ambition and goals do usually sacrifice personal goals until later in life. There's just not enough time to do both well. However, I think that, whatever life you choose, sacrifices are inevitable.


message 14: by Bunny (new)

Bunny Burns (BHHBurns) | 14 comments I go by the philosophy of if I want to do something that doesn't cause harm to others and I can do it, then I do it; and if I don't want to do something, and I don't have to do it, then I don't.


message 15: by Jim (last edited Mar 11, 2017 08:50AM) (new)

Jim Vuksic | 362 comments Doing what you want when you want depends almost entirely upon self-imposed priorities, personal financial status, and physical and mental capabilities.

I was fortunate to be able to retire at the age of 53 and live a very comfortable lifestyle, at least until the age of 90 according to my financial adviser. I am in good health and have no physical or mental restrictions.

That said; I was also married for 35 1/2 years, had 5 children, and now, 4 grandchildren....so far. The wants and the needs of my late wife, children, and grandchildren have always come before my own. So, have I usually been able to do what I've wanted to do? Yes. Have I always done so? No.


message 16: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Congrats and good luck, Faith!


message 17: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Faith wrote: "I'm going to buy an espresso machine!"

That's probably a need-have in every household. Armed with an espresso machine and having an upcoming daylight saving time as a tailwind, you'd probably be able to reduce sleeping hours to a necessary minimum -:)
When student, I used to work seven nights a week too in the uni's nightclub, but that was a good mix of biz and pleasure


message 18: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments So, is there a time deficit?


message 19: by [deleted user] (new)

Hell yes! For one thing, I will run out of living time well before I will be able to write all the books that I want to write, and I am not bragging! They will have to take my writer's pen from my cold dead hands!


message 20: by J.N. (new)

J.N. Bedout (jndebedout) | 104 comments Well, when I die, I plan to become a ghost writer. Plus, all the best writers are dead anyways, so I reckon that would be a good time to meet them. It's the optimistic viewpoint that provides eternal levity.


message 21: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments -:)


message 22: by Ian (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments I honestly don't know. I am continuing my various activities, and like Michel, I shall probably be very reluctant to close my laptop on my deathbed, but I shall probably have got the most important stuff out of the way by then, as long as nothing disastrous happens.


message 23: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments I have a plan for tomorrow. But you know the old saying that man plans and God laughs.


message 24: by Nik (last edited Nov 10, 2021 05:45AM) (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Is time sufficient or scarce?


message 25: by Ian (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments There is plenty of time, Nik. It is only that we are only allowed to use a tiny speck of it.


message 26: by Jim (new)

Jim Vuksic | 362 comments "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."
Mae West (Actress/Sex Symbol) 1893 - 1980


message 27: by Philip (new)

Philip (phenweb) We make choices many forced e.g. spending time in work or on chores against reading or walking or visiting that museum.

Wealth buys some of that back - accumulating wealth tends not to.


message 28: by [deleted user] (new)

Thoughtful comments, Ian and Philip. Great quote, Jim.


message 29: by [deleted user] (new)

Couple of other good time quotes for you, Jim, just in case you haven’t heard them:

‘Never leave until tomorrow which you can do today.’ Benjamin Franklin.

‘Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.’ George Orwell.


message 30: by Jim (new)

Jim Vuksic | 362 comments Beau wrote: "Couple of other good time quotes for you, Jim, just in case you haven’t heard them:

‘Never leave until tomorrow which you can do today.’ Benjamin Franklin.

‘Who controls the past controls the fut..."


Beau,

Thank you for sharing the thought-provoking quotes. I am familiar with both, but never grow tired of being reminded of them. The second quote you posted brought to mind the following one.

"The past may dictate who we are, but we get to determine what we become."
Steven Spielberg (Film Director/Screenwriter/Producer)


message 31: by [deleted user] (new)

Jim wrote: ""The past may dictate who we are, but we get to determine what we become."
Steven Spielberg (Film Director/Screenwriter/Producer)


Only if the people who control the present allow it ;)


message 32: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments I think that if I were to die in the next few minutes, I'd die thinking, "No, I have things I need to do." I have a list of things to do every day, and I wouldn't want to go having not done them. Maybe that's what keeps me going.


message 33: by Ian (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments Keep going, Scout :-)


message 34: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Hope you'll never run out of things to do then :)


message 35: by Philip (new)

Philip (phenweb) With current redundancy plans at my employers I am considering time and what to do. I have lots of things I want to do, travel, skills, writing, fitness, but do I have the determination to do them or will I drift into lethargy and apathy.


message 36: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Philip wrote: "With current redundancy plans at my employers I am considering time and what to do. I have lots of things I want to do, travel, skills, writing, fitness, but do I have the determination to do them or will I drift into lethargy and apathy. ..."

Hope you can have a meaningful retirement and enough energy and resolve to do things you want even with the occasional apathy in between :)


message 37: by Philip (new)

Philip (phenweb) Nik wrote: "Philip wrote: "With current redundancy plans at my employers I am considering time and what to do. I have lots of things I want to do, travel, skills, writing, fitness, but do I have the determinat..."

Thanks


message 38: by Ian (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments Philip wrote: "With current redundancy plans at my employers I am considering time and what to do. I have lots of things I want to do, travel, skills, writing, fitness, but do I have the determination to do them ..."

Philip, if you really want to do those things you will be fine. Apathy tends to come when you really don't want to do things.


message 39: by Lizzie (new)

Lizzie | 2057 comments There is lots I'd like to do. When I was younger, I didn't have time because work, mother, wife, coach, teacher - all took my time. Then disability and age, both of which affect health, affect my ability to do some of those things I used to think about.

In the end, money limits everything. I would have my clothes in the trunk and be on the road tomorrow with an RV, if I had the money to pay for it and a year of traveling, followed by visiting some countries I would like to see. I would eat at places with really good food that excited my tastebuds across the country and in foreign countries.

Practically, I will find a place to live and invest my money in a "home" and hopefully be able to resume some of my roadtrips, assuming costs become more affordable again.

The time part, I don't really think about. Either I'm alive or dead and I really don't believe I have a say in when time runs out.


message 40: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments Thanks, Ian and Nik. Sweet guys.


message 41: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Lizzie wrote: "There is lots I'd like to do. When I was younger, I didn't have time because work, mother, wife, coach, teacher - all took my time. Then disability and age, both of which affect health, affect my a..."

Yeah, to RV and roadtrips!


message 42: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 510 comments Well we all get that same 24 hour day. But there are things that make demands on when time has to be spent on them - like if the kids have to be picked up at school at 3 PM, and you have to pick them up, that's not flexible. Also, if you have kids, they have events, they get sick, they have appointments and you have to be flexible.
So we all get the same amount of time, but things like family, what job we have, determine how much flexible we can be with our time.


message 43: by Lizzie (new)

Lizzie | 2057 comments Nik wrote: "Lizzie wrote: "There is lots I'd like to do. When I was younger, I didn't have time because work, mother, wife, coach, teacher - all took my time. Then disability and age, both of which affect heal..."

I am pretty sure that every state in the USA produces wine, beer, or liquor.


message 44: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno | 19850 comments Lizzie wrote: "...I am pretty sure that every state in the USA produces wine, beer, or liquor...."

I imagine grapes and wine would be more climate dependent, beer & liquor - less so...


message 45: by J. (new)

J. Gowin | 7977 comments Nik wrote: "Lizzie wrote: "...I am pretty sure that every state in the USA produces wine, beer, or liquor...."

I imagine grapes and wine would be more climate dependent, beer & liquor - less so..."


It looks like the lady is correct. Every state except Alaska has viticulture. Yet I found Alaskan wineries that import grape juice, and several that ferment wine from local fruit.

Glacial Bear Winery
https://www.glacierbearwinery.com/


message 46: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments Is it true that you can make wine out of any fruit? I don't know, but I know a guy who makes peach wine - and then there's that song "Strawberry Wine" :-) Who knows?


message 47: by Ian (new)

Ian Miller | 1857 comments If you use apples is called cider, so no :-)


message 48: by Lizzie (new)

Lizzie | 2057 comments Scout wrote: "Is it true that you can make wine out of any fruit? I don't know, but I know a guy who makes peach wine - and then there's that song "Strawberry Wine" :-) Who knows?"

We learned to make wine in high school biology. Fermentation. We used whatever we could find and hide and made some stuff that knocked us on our butts when we were 15.


message 49: by Scout (new)

Scout (goodreadscomscout) | 8071 comments Ha! A friend of mine had a great-uncle in the backwoods who made "cane buck," which was fermented sugar cane juice. He kept it in a barrel on the porch and partook throughout the day while enjoying the view. My friend said it stunk to high heaven, but he'd sit and drink a cup and listen to his unc's stories.


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