1000 Marbles

Once again I find myself wondering about my intelligence. I've gotten straight A's in an advanced boarding school, so I know I can't be that stupid. Why then, do I find myself wanting to spread myself too thin? The reason is simple. This is my second chance to do those things I didn't have time for before. I did things I wanted to do, sorta, the first round of college, but now that I'm back, I want to do more things that I always made me say, "I wish I had time for that."

This time, there are very few things, but they mean more to me. One is my work. I want to get out of debt and save money for my archaeology field school and other educational expenses. Task two is getting good grades. Not straight A's, though that is what I'll aim for. I'll just not be overly upset if I know I did my best and can't do anything more. Task three: become and stay an active member of Pugwash (http://www.pugwash.org/), a formal and international society that impresses social and environmental ethics in science. Not too much, but these things do take a lot of time. 

When I sit back and try to prioritise, one thing comes to mind. 1000 marbles. This was an email that my grandfather sent me as one of those annoying "forward this on to everyone you know" chain mails. I always read them, but not one has every stayed in my mind like 1000 Marbles.  The basics are that you start out with a jar full of marbles and count down the number of weeks you have left in life. A little morbid, but stunning in the simplicity of the theory and message. 

Life ends too quickly, and I want to make the most of it. What do I want to do with every week of my life? What do I really want to accomplish in life? I know that I want to live a relatively simple life. I wish I could start with a clean slate, but I can't. Things are already messed up. If I could, I would work only the hours that I needed to save up for school and pay my bills. I would take my boyfriend out the symphony once in a while. I would put my mind forward to help change the world for the better. I would do a lot with my life.

Well, I'm still doing those things; it will just take a bit more effort. And patience. I know that I'll forget about that patience thing later, but I remember it now. I need a giant jar and 2444 marbles. 

~~Here is a blog with the contents of the email that I received, if you want to read the mostly original context. I can't remember exactly what I read, but this is pretty close to what I remember.  http://wisewomaninwoods.blog.ca/2007/11/09/spirituality_happiness_aamp_1000_marble_~3269499 ~~