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It was recently the Christmas Fayre at my step-daughter’s school.
My wife is one of the volunteer parents that helps organise it.
Amongst other things this year people were keen on freshening up the Santa’s grotto.
Alex (the wife – I only call her ‘the’ wife as it annoys her) fancied a wooden front to go across the corridor the grotto is in.
So we contacted our good friend (and course of constant amusement) Darren as he’s a landscape gardener and has a well equipped workshop.
We had intended to do it ourselves, with his help.
But, bless him, he (and other half Heather) had pretty much finished it before the day we’d agreed to go round.
It looked amazing.
So I offered to lend it to my two oldest sons’ school over near Bakewell.
Last Wednesday I took it over in the back of our car (see picture) to be left at another parent’s house till it’s to be put up this Friday.
At that time of day it normally takes 40 minutes or so (45 to 50 at a busier time).
I’m normally in a rush – to get to the kids before school ends, to get them back in time for drumming, to pick their brother up from nursery and / or Alex from the train station and so on.
Oli sometimes gets car sick on the journey and ends up missing his drumming and swimming.
Alex often tells me I should go a little slower, especially on those winding country lanes in order to minimise his car sickness.
I kinda felt I was going slow enough already.
And we’re always tight for time so I didn’t want to go any slower.
When taking the grotto over I probably took those corners and bends as slow as I ever have – I didn’t want it sliding and marking the interior.
It felt painfully slow.
Genuinely felt like it was taking twice as long.
When I got to the school, I looked at the clock.
It had taken 43 minutes.
Three minutes longer.
Less than 10% more.
I’d probably gone the same speed on the straights, just take ten seconds longer on each corner.
Lesson learned.
I’ll bring them back every Wednesday at that speed.
See if it helps Oli’s car sickness.
Worst case scenario, he missed three minutes of his drum lesson.
It’s funny isn’t it?
These things that we often don’t do, because they’ll take longer………..
Don’t actually really take all that much more time.
Usually less than we thought.
And, often, little enough, so it’s worth it.
Does it take longer to eat ‘better’?
Not always.
But sometimes, yeah.
You might have to go that bit further to the Tesco Express than Costa or Pret on your lunch break.
That better breakfast may take a bit longer than a massive bowl of Frosties does.
Making a meal probably takes a bit longer than ringing Dominoes.
But often not much longer.
Maybe just three minutes.
One 480th of the day.
0.2% of the day.
Maybe a little more.
But it’s not hours and hours.
It’s not as big an inconvenience as we might tell ourselves it is.
And if it adds up to us having a body we like the look and feel of more (and should, all else being equal, last us longer)…………..
It’s more than worth it 🙂
Much love,
Jon ‘Warning’ Hall and Matt ‘Rosey & Jamal’ Nicholson
P.S. Speaking of something that doesn’t take long, you (or a friend) can get booked in for our next find out more meeting on the 2nd Jan (for the January programme) in just a few seconds. Why leave it if you’re thinking January is a good time to get cracking? Details and booking at myrise.co.uk/briefing-meeting.
RISE Macclesfield – myrise.co.uk
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