It’s the fifty third week of March, time has become such a completely alien concept and every day is slowly rolling into one long 24 hour window separated by a brief nap that we didn’t even want. Time is a strange one isn’t it? Every day we are given 24 hours, or 1440 minutes. It might not seem like it, but each minute we have presents us an opportunity to live our lives. Thats right, kids, buckle up, because this weeks column is a bit of a deep one.
Let us start with Sunday, shall we? I spent 7 hours, or 420 minutes watching the latest Ryan Murphy creation on Netflix. Hollywood is genuinely one of the best pieces of TV I have binged in a long time. I don’t want to give too much away for those of you who have yet to undertaken the binge, but think 1950s golden era of Hollywood, with veterans returning from the war attempting to make it as the next big actor, with genuine and real names and film concepts from the era used for the shows sake. But in the typical way that I think only Murphy can achieve, the true events are completely turned upside down and given a bit of twist. It is incredible.
As the week has ticked on, I have been making a note of the minutes I have spent doing things. I have spent approximately 3000 minutes working this week. 120 minutes of my week have been spent in the bath. A further 100 minutes have gone to running, whilst I saved 240 minutes for yoga. I have walked Benson, I have spent 80 minutes this week crying over various things. I have FaceTimed my family. I have spent time writing. I even spent 120 minutes watching the Christmas specials of the Vicar of Dibley. I have been talking to a boy who is 180 minutes from me. I cannot wait for time to move forward enough for me to go and explore with him.
You see, time is the one great tool that we all have, my friends. It’s the one thing that unites us all, regardless of anything else. Time doesn’t discriminate against weight, gender, race, sexual orientation. Time is here, and then one day it is gone. I know, I know I’m being all sad and deep this week, but there is an empowering undertone that I want you take from all of this.
Right now, the world has paused. Coronavirus has temporarily stopped time as we know it. It stripped us of our 40 hour working weeks. It has taken the opportunity to spend valuable minutes with the ones we love. We can no longer spend 7 minutes dancing to The Saturdays Megamix in some sweaty club whilst kissing boys we will forget in three drinks time. For a while, we have no choice but to sit here and spend time on ourselves. To find what we love, to learn new skills, to take on new hobbies. It sounds so silly, I know, and there are people who are fighting this on the frontline every single day. There are those who don’t return home from the hospital and our elderly grandparents are constantly at risk in the care homes that should be able to keep them safe. But I am going to tell you something that I hope hits the right tone in your head, it is absolutely okay to use some of this new found time to be a little bit selfish.
Spend 30 minutes a day reading before bed. Take 60 minutes to hide from the world in the bath. Use 420 minutes to watch Hollywood – whether or not you chose to use them all in one go or spread them out it up to you. Learn a new language, get round to finishing those odd jobs from two years ago. But more than anything, I want this weeks column to give you a sense that it’s time to look after yourself. We are born and then we rush through this education system to then find we were only just beginning and there’s a whole world of work and marriages and mortgages to be chasing after. Right now, everything is temporarily paused and we will never get this time back, so I think you owe it to yourself to claim a few precious minutes back.
In terms of my weekly musical suggestion, I think I have spent at least four hundred and twenty five minutes listening to Nao this week. She is absolutely beautiful. I have been a long time fan, and her latest album, Saturn, sits firmly within the theme of time. She named the album Saturn, because it is based on the time in her life where she turned 27 up until she as 29. Saturn Returning, if you didn’t know, is the moment Saturn returns to the same position it was in when you were born. It takes 29 years to be in that position, but those who, like me, believe in the power of the universe, will tell you that you can begin to feel the pull from 27. This year I turned 27, and I have never felt so in tune with the universe.
Whatever you do, can you please refrain from spending 7 disappointing minutes on a Grindr hookup? I can’t believe I am even asking this, but I can still see people online going to meet their friends for a few drinks or meeting guys for a quickie. Not only are you potentially smearing our community whose image and livelihood is constantly under attack, but you are also risking your life. Please. Stop. Just. Stop. One day, there will come a time when we can do this all again and more, but until then, let us look after each other and not be risking lives for a quick bang.
Use your time wisely, but also use it selfishly, even if it is just for ten minutes a day, please.
Much Love,
See you in 10,080 minutes.
Please do feel free to find me on twitter and keep me updated on how you’re spending your time.
Dan x