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Thought for the Day: So... Just How Much Time *Do* You Have?

Yesterday afternoon I was feeling very good about myself. I had gone to make a shiva call to good friends whose mother had just left this world. I know the family well and also knew the mother. I felt I had done a good job in comforting the mourning. I was on my way to Shas4Shidduchim, where I had a significant block of gemara to learn over the following 24 hours. As I was driving over, I was listening to a Spanish podcast that is at a good level and pace for me. The discussion is usually about places and customs of the Spanish speaking world. I heard:

La idea de que tienen tiempo es una de las ideas más peligrosas. No sabes cuánto tiempo tienes.

For you monolinguals: 

The idea that they have time is one of the most dangerous ideas. You don't know how much time you have.

That was running through my head on a continuous loop as I approached the venue where I would be spending most of the next 24 hours. We started with mincha and ma'ariv. After ma'ariv I saw a good friend of mine was one of the learners. I hadn't seen him for a while and I really wanted to go over to catch up. But, I thought to myself, I really don't have time -- I had signed up for a stretch goal of dafim and was already feeling the pressure. On the heels of that thought, I had a chilling realization: I don't have time to visit because I have an obligation to learn right now... um... wait... so how do I ever have time to visit? Don't I always have an obligation to learn?

I mean, when I am done for the day at work, I am done. There is no such thing as being done with the obligation to learn. Well, there actually is such a thing. Yikes... I really don't know how much time I have.

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