My single most valuable possession may be my time. Even when we become bogged down with work and other commitments, the choice still lies with each of us to do as we like with our own time. Many things this past week have occasioned me to remind myself of this all too often forgotten fact. Perhaps what had previously gotten in the way of acknowledging this is that none of us want to accept that time is finite. This understanding of time as a resource bound to be exhausted can be overwhelming and suffocating. However, one can also look it at it from an all-inspiring and energizing perspective, as this one well-known song in Spanish puts it, "don't add years to your life, add life to your years." And what exactly do I want to do with my own life?
Clearly, I've been asking myself that question a lot, both in my successes and failures. Sometimes the question has been, "Why am I here?" I AM here- there's nothing I can do about that. Now the question becomes, what will I do? I try to refocus on the liberty I have to use my time, energy and talent as I wish. For me, the greatest learning will come from being intentional as I exercise my liberty. I definitely haven't been as intentional, thoughtful and responsible with my time as I'd like to be. Time has taken the reins of my life at full speed and I'm still trying to catch up.
So much stress and pressure comes from structuring our lives around units of time. Even as I write this I can catch myself glancing at the time on the computer screen, making sure I won't miss my next commitment. On the other hand, I get so much joy and rejuvenation from transcending time and looking at my life from other perspectives- from changes in my body, to changes in the weather. Isn't it strange that the way we perceive time is so disassociated from anything natural. I mean, isn't it supposed to be the SOLAR calendar? True, it doesn't help that weather here is so erratic, but it astounds me the extent to which ticking clocks control our time.
Need proof that we're timeless? Next time you see stars think about this: for some stars their starlight has taken tens of thousands of years to reach us. It makes time seem intangible...
One good example of trying to tie my shoes while running was the volleyball club's first [unofficial] tournament of the semester at Ohio State University. We weren't quite sure what we were going in for. Our captain kept assuring me that we "would get pounded." And that we did! Of the five games we played at the Buckeye Winter Classic, we lost every single set. A few times we were close to a tie, maybe even winning, but we managed to make many mistakes. How does that sound? It was painful, but our team of 7 came out knowing how to improve (and how to lose). In our fairness, there were only seven in our group and we were competing against much larger teams with much more experienced players.
In other news, the main business this week has been receiving candidates for the job of Area Director of the First-Year Experience (the three residence halls housing first year students). I hosted four sessions with students, on evenings and during lunch. Both evening sessions were very well-attended, mostly by RAs, who asked challenging and sometimes uncomfortable questions. If the AD candidates were expecting simple and easy questions, they finally found out what we're about. Unfortunately (for the Search committee), I felt like I learned more about the RAs than about the candidates. RAs and students asked everything- from "What do you think about Richmond?" to "What do you think is the best way to handle alcohol violations?"
Speaking of alcohol, Earlham is revising it's alcohol policy. An ad hoc committee is currently meeting with college constituents to gather opinions on different aspects relating to the alcohol policy (Wellness housing, medical amnesty, trained bartenders, etc.) and on what they think constitutes a more practical, functional and true alcohol policy. There were two open sessions for students - no faculty present - and they were both very insightful. However, the ideas and questions students shared showed there is an overall lack of information with regards to the specifics of our policy, its enforcement and protocols for policy violations. People were very open about their uncertainties and also what they thought was the right thing to do with regards to alcohol on campus. However, the messages I found most compelling were those centered on people's personal experiences, beliefs and questions surrounding the use and abuse of alcohol. Part me of feels like we won't be ready for a real revision of the alcohol policy until there's a better understanding of how people relate to alcohol on campus. Yet again, time seems to be against us. The ad hoc committee plans to propose a revised policy by the end of March. I doubt historical inertia will change overnight, but I think that this process will at least make us more aware that there is no general campus culture and that it's almost impossible to find something that will please everyone. 
