Precious Time

Random thoughts from Benjamin! (If you'd rather just read the music updates, scroll to the bottom. Seriously, I won't be offended.) 

Do you ever think about how much time you waste THINKING about time? 

I've been thinking about this in my own life...You might say that I've been spending some "time" on this. I waste a lot of time...in fact, I'm even spending some of this time writing an e-mail on it right now! ;-) 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."  Ecclesiates 3:1-8, NIV 

When it comes to time, it either doesn't come fast enough or goes by TOO fast. 

I'm SURE, you probably already know this. On one side, it includes those horrible moments where you just want to cross out from your life. But, on the other side, it includes those precious, beautiful, inspiring moments that you want to last forever. On this fast-paced planet, there is ALWAYS an expiration date to the array of human experiences we have. I don't mean this in a morbid way but merely to show the integrity and power of change - which always includes some sort of beginning, middle and end. For some of those experiences, the beginnings are the beautiful part...and for other experiences, the endings are the beautiful part. It's crazy how diverse the experiences and situations can be. 

Everyone has to deal with time - whether you like it or not. 

Generally speaking, I don't hear many people give time a positive vibe, but it is one of the few constant, objective parts of life, unlike many of our human experiences. It does not have a prejudice against anyone. It doesn't judge. It merely passes. 

Sure, you caught me. I don't like it. Time sucks. 

But, then, without the impact of time on our life, would there be a sense of urgency for ANYTHING we do? Would there be a sense of importance? How would we prioritize anything? 

The difficult thing about our evaluation of time is that it's always based off of previous experiences. When we talk about the "good ol days", we don't necessarily think those are the good days in the moment. But, we eventually realize that THOSE were the good ol days when TIME gets to work. 

I've noticed that there are two EXTREME reactions to effect of time: 

1. Avoiding it: Finding ways to occupy your mind from processing the impact of time. Not accepting different seasons of life, different stages/roles of your identity or purpose. 

By pursuing this route, we can lose track of our purpose, our relationships and most importantly, our identity. We are not meant to be the same our whole lives. Sure, we may be the same "person" but we are constantly evolving, transitioning into different stages. We must approach time with a sense of reality. 

2. Smothering it: Trying to hang on to every moment all the time. Putting the weight of spontaneity, the moment on your soul. 

As much as I wish this was possible, we can't live the day by day, hoping to hold on to every single breath we take. That's just too much weight on our shoulders. When we TRY to do this, we overwhelm ourselves. Life keeps us too busy. Too distracted. Too preoccupied. Too worried. Too future-focused. 

Why am I bringing this up? 

Time is valuable. It's more precious than any money or subjectively-valued item on Earth. It's non-refundable and more often than not, always going to cost you more when you don't spend it appropriately. We can't avoid it. But, at the same time, we can't prevent it. Finding the appropriate balance of processing time is crucial for our adulthood! 

Ultimately, the reality is....where you spend your time IS where your heart is.  I challenge you to use this time to reflect on how you are spending your time. Is this a reflection of who you think you are? 

Thanks for reading! Below is an update of my music, shindigs! 

TWO GIGS COMING UP (SINGLE RELEASE SHOW IS COMING UP!!!!) 

Friday, June 8th 

Acoustic Showdown 

The Tree Bar 
887 Chambers Rd. Columbus, Ohio 43212 

Join us for an exciting night of acoustic music and community with: 

Tom Barrett (of Blatant Finger) 
Chase Duncan 
Benjamin Marshall 
PFC Pierce 
The Lucid Youth 

Music starts at 9. $5 at the door. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/212442082865178/ 

Saturday, June 16th 

SINGLE RELEASE SHOW 

THE SHRUNKEN HEAD 
251 W 5th Ave Columbus, OH 43201 

Come celebrate with Benjamin & Friends while we kick off a new single off the album to be released towards Fall of 2018! 

Featuring: 
Benjamin Marshall Music 
Carole Walker Music 
The Zach Whitney Show 
Javelina 
Mark Zonakis 
...and potentially more! 

ALL PROCEEDS TO GO TO MID-OHIO FOOD BANK! 
http://midohiofoodbank.com 

https://www.facebook.com/events/213808162544530/ 

I'm stoked for BOTH shows. Hope to catch you at either OR BOTH SHOWS! 

The Friday, June 8th show will be just an acoustic show but the June 16th show will be a fun-filled night with a full band on the bill! I'm getting pumped! 

Anyways, thanks for putting up with me for this long email. As always, please don't hesitate to share with me some of your sentiments of "time", music, faith or just where you are at in life! I would love to hear from you. 

Thanks! 

Peace and love, 
Benjamin

1 comment