What if Time Isn't the Constraint?
Stepping Through Life's 4-Dimensional Doorway
For most, the default view of life’s second half involves a single lens: How much time is left.
That’s one dimension. Linear. A gradually closing window.
But what if chronological time - lifespan - isn’t your primary constraint?
Healthspan - the years within that lifespan during which we fully engage - adds a second dimension.
Marginspan - the hours available for engagement beyond the growing overhead of maintaining ourselves (rest, recovery, appointments, slower pace) - opens a third.
And then there’s a dimension that exists apart from the clock and calendar: Nowspan. The depth of a moment. Our presence inside it. It’s the dimension of multiplication - or hollow existence.
Over the past century, lifespan grew by 25 years while the other three quietly shrank. The result? Most of us spend our days in a black and white, one dimensional life, watching it pass by through an ever-shrinking window.
The alternative throws out the window altogether and installs an inviting, 4-dimensional door of opportunity in its place. A door available to any of us who are not... done... yet.
The first 5 bite-sized episodes of the new podcast: Not Done Yet! Purpose & Possibilities Through Life’s Second Half w/ Dr. Cooper are now avail via any podcast app (Spotify, Apple, etc.). Here are links to The Roadmap, Finding Your Second Act, Cracks in the Foundation, or the 60-second trailer!!
What if lifespan or even healthspan is not the right metric at all. I sometimes wonder what people who are preoccupied with lifespan -- what are they actually planning to do with these hoped-for extra years? Hang around in a state of limited to zero productivity and savor the daily crossword puzzle?
The real measure of a good life is what you accomplish, not how long you live. I remember reading the obituary for a Delta Force operator who was killed in Syria in a raid on an ISIS compound. Not only did he contribute to saving the life of prisoners being held there, but his record of deployments and medals was remarkable -- he did more in his 39 years than most of us would accomplish in several lifetimes.
As we get older, the finish comes rushing in towards us like the way the ground rushes up if you are parachuting. Do something that makes the world a better place now, while you still have time!