I wasn't going to post this

I hope its helpful

It’s now 9:00 pm on Monday, 12th August, and my weekly newsletter/email was supposed to be written hours (or even days) ago, but it hasn’t been. It’s not that I have nothing to say—anyone who knows me knows I could talk the back legs off a donkey—but I’ve been trying hard to get some balls rolling. This led me to work on Wednesday, shoot Thursday afternoon, and edit the photos that night. I shot again on Friday morning for a friend, and then got asked if I could make a Ice bath storage box for an event this coming week, to which I agreed.

I’ve dabbled in woodworking for years—turning, making chopping boards, and all the other Pinterest stuff you can find—and it’s been fun. In another life, 16-year-old me would have taken up an apprenticeship, and that might have been my path. But back to this weekend: after the Friday shoot, I bought the wood for the frame, worked out how to make it, and got the frame done by 6 pm. After getting home, having some food as I’d forgotten to eat during the day. I then edited the images from that morning. Side note: I edit very quickly—a skill I picked up during my time in commercial work, where I had to shoot and edit for immediate delivery following an event or concert.

With those images sent off, I woke early on Saturday and headed back to work on the box. Coffee and food in me, I was on the tools by 8 am, cutting the timbers for the external walls. It was going well, but it wasn’t going quickly. By 5 pm, I was still putting the sides on, getting them level and looking good. I still had the lid to prep if I was going to get this delivered by midday Monday, as discussed. By 6 pm, one side of the lid was cut and on, then we moved to the next. By 7 pm, the other side was done, and I called it a day—I hadn’t eaten yet. Home, shower, and food. It was time for bed.

Sunday morning was my cousin’s communion. Now, I don’t expect everyone to know what this is, but I’ll tell you that there’s something in Irish families that still stands strong today: Catholic guilt. I had a lot to do on Sunday—work, emails, invoicing, shoots to plan, and shopping. But do you think that was an option? No. Now, I wouldn’t miss my little cousin’s communion for anything, but that’s not the point—it wasn’t an option. Catholic guilt ensured I would be there until 3 pm, after the pub lunch that followed the two-hour-long service. When I got home, I showered, cleaned the house, and then got onto emails, invoices, and prepping for finishing and installing the box on Monday morning.

Monday morning, I was up at 6 am, and the coffee pot was immediately on—I knew what today would involve. In the car and on the road to arrive by 7 am, I had until midday to finish the lid, sand the screw holes, install the locks, and reinforce the hinges. I arrived and got straight into finishing the lid so I could close the box. I marked it all out with as much precision as one can muster at 7:20 am on a Monday morning. I didn’t think I could turn on my saw until 8 am, so I waited and started sanding the screw holes.

It’s now 9 am, and the lid is nearly ready. I need to finish the hinges and go to the shops to get locks for the top. At 10:45 am, I was sent a text: "I am on the way," but I still hadn’t gone to get the locks, so keys in the car and off to the hardware store it was. By 11:30 am, I was back and installed the locks by 11:45 am. The truck arrived at 11:47 am. Somewhat good timing. It took three of us to lift this thing but we got it, with the truck loaded and the box not falling apart ( success). I followed as we drove the 56-minute trip to put it in place, we arrived, unloaded the box, and I installed the lids and got it in position. It was 2 pm, and I was done with the ice bath box.

I got home by 4:30 pm, with a quick hour stop at my partner’s studio to see how her pieces came out of the kiln—she’s an amazing potter by the way. By 5 pm, We took a quick walk before the rain came in, had dinner and cleaned up by 7 pm, then spent the next hour planning and making images to post on social media. At 8 pm, I still needed to shower and got ready for work tomorrow, then to bed by 9pm to where we are now.

This might seem like a long-winded and somewhat pointless story, but I wanted to share it for a few reasons. I loved parts of this weekend. It involved spending time with my partner and family, making photos, working with artists, and building something (even if I didn’t realise how much would be involved). Now, as I lie in bed writing this email—because I promised myself I wouldn’t miss a Tuesday since I started this whole thing—I’ve also realised that for months, I’ve missed being busy in a way that this weekend made me realise is just me enjoying my time more.

Was it my perfect weekend? No. Did it contain most of what I love to do? Aside from a hike, yes. I think we spend so much idle time trying to fill it with things to do, or we have too much on that we don’t get to do the things we want to do. Recently, I’ve had a lot of free time—trying to shoot more, trying to work more, trying to fill my time. But this weekend, I didn’t have much of a choice. I didn’t have time to check my phone; I didn’t stop enough for food. I didn’t give myself the right time in the right places.

We often spend so long trying to find a balance between being too busy for anything outside of work and being so bored that we do nothing but spend our time on our phones. It was refreshing to be on the other side of that for a change and see the importance of understanding what elements we want in our lives. Jimmy Carr the comedian once answered the question, “What is the meaning of life?” probably better than anyone I’ve heard. He said, “I can do it in five words: Enjoy the passage of time.”

So, as someone now reflecting on a weekend that was definitely too busy for my liking, do you know how you would spend your time if you were given a choice? And how many of the things on that list are you already doing?

Good question for a Tuesday morning. Sorry for the rambles—see you all next week.

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