The following article is excerpted from Healthy Aging® Magazine. Emil Rem is a creative nonfiction writer, an eccentric accountant, and an advocate for overcoming the odds. He is the author of Heart of New York and Chasing Aphrodite An Ismaili Muslim originally from Tanzania, he has faced—and overcome—daunting circumstances all his life. To continue reading this article and more like it, log in or subscribe to Healthy Aging® Magazine, the lifestyle magazine that is all about following your passion and what you can do rather than what you can’t.
By Emil Rem
It was an ordinary Sunday. Or at least it started that way. As an accountant with a looming deadline for a financial statement and twenty personal tax returns to complete, my day was meticulously planned out. I woke at the crack of dawn, determined to tackle the tasks ahead and be ahead of schedule.
However, life, as it often does, had a different plan. My wife, waking at a more leisurely 9 am, had a simple request. “Hon, can you drive me to Saskatoon Farm? I have some muffins to pick up.” I let out a sigh, masked my growing panic at the thought of rescheduling my work, and agreed to her request.
Then came a detour for breakfast at Phil’s. And a spontaneous trip to the annual Lilac Festival that was taking place on our street. And just as I thought I could return to my work, my son woke up late and needed a ride to the campus of Mount Royal University, where he’s a student.
Time, it seemed, was slipping away.
About to scream, “stop wasting my time,” I paused. Suddenly, I was transported back to my younger days, bombarded with the echoes of my mother’s disapproving voice. “You failed your high school exams. You failed every accounting exam you’ve taken. You’re such a loser. Stop wasting time.”
Despite thirty years of physical separation, it felt like my mum was standing right before me, her voice laced with fiery rebuke.
In the midst of the chaos, a realization dawned.
To continue reading this article with 5 reasons for wasting time, click here:
Healthy Aging Magazine | Five Reasons to Indulge in Wasting Time
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