Well it’s Groundhog Day, Back on the Time Diet

I don’t want to let Groundhog Day get too far in the rearview mirror without observing it.  First of all, this year Punxsutawny Phil did NOT see his shadow.  This is supposed to predict an early spring.  Right here in Sacramento (where, in general, we have no cause for complaint or commenting on the weather, period) it does not feel like an early spring.  It’s February and evening temperatures are in the low 30s and daytime highs are in the 50s.  I realize there are portions of the country that would kill for that.  I know someone who would basically be sunbathing on their front porch nude in this weather in a certain great lakes city, but here in Sacramento it would usually be well into the 60s or 70s during the day pretty soon.  So it feels very cold right now, again, no sympathy expected or deserved.  I lived in the northeast and mid-atlantic parts of the US for 12 years in a row. I know. I really do.

But also its been a couple of years since I’ve re-watched this beloved movie.  I DO consider it one of the greatest mainstream spiritual films of all times.   How are we living this one day?  What are we doing with it?  My long ago review still holds up, Five Snouts Up for “Groundhog Day” 17 years later.

Much is made in conscious spiritual circles (everyone’s a spiritual being but not always consciously) of the present moment.  Lately, I’ve been just noticing my relationship with time.  I mostly think there’s not enough of it to do anything.  Even with lots of spiritual practice, I spend a lot of my day feeling like I’m running behind, not doing enough, not keeping up.  I feel great DURING spiritual practice but its effect does not always carry over into the rest of the day.  The biggest effect some days is that I notice that I am behind schedule and stressed and blaming time.  I consider the possibility that there’s an alternative.  I wonder what else is possible instead of believing all of my thoughts.

In the book The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks suggests we consider a “time diet,” where we abstain for a month from blaming time for anything.  We stop using “I don’t have time” as the reason we don’t do something because it’s a lie.  The reason we don’t do something is because we’re making a choice not to do it.  

I remember the first time I went on a time diet.  I had a close family member who often wanted more of my time than I was willing to give.  I would tell her, I thought truthfully, that the reason I didn’t do certain things with her was that I “didn’t have time.”  When I reflected on it in the context of this time diet, I realized that actually I didn’t choose to spend my time in that way.   When I said “I don’t have time” she would argue with me about it and try to come up with ways for me to save time so that I could be with her.  No amount of my time with her seemed to be enough.  When I started saying things like “I need to go home now.  I want to exercise before my meeting,” now I was telling the truth.  It was inarguable.  She would just accept it at face value.  All the guilt left me and I actually wanted to spend more time with her.

Lately its occurred to me that when I don’t think the present moment is enough (which is what it is to blame time), I’m essentially saying that Life is not enough.  And is that really true?  Surely this Life that has given to me so abundantly, so much love and so many resources and so much freedom and choice, is more than enough?  

Maybe if the present is enough, I don’t have to care whether the groundhog sees his shadow.