QT vs T

Whilst stuck in a bit of traffic this morning on Kloofnek… I spotted a jogger and couldn’t help but follow his little exercise mission. All dressed for the occasion with shorts and vest, trotting away. What was interesting is that while jogging, he also had his cellphone stuck to his ear and was engaged in, probably, some very important conversation. This went on for some time until I had to turn off. I just couldn’t help but think… What’s the point dude? Can person on other end of the line even hear what you saying?

It got me thinking about that precious thing we call quality time (QT) and how we spend it. To me QT means time spent family, friends, loved ones and also just ourselves doing any activity that piques the interest or whatever we enjoy (some might know this as me-time). However, it is so easily spoilt with ringing phones and text messages that I think takes away the quality and maybe we should then just call it time (T). Inadvertently, these scenarios translate to “You’re not that important…” and “I have something more important than you to attend to”. I confess to being guilty of this little habit too at times, although do make the effort to at least bear it in mind.

I think QT is so important and sometimes it’s those little unplanned events along our QT journeys that reap the greatest rewards. As a little example, I attribute two discoveries to great QT spent with a friend recently. Whilst exploring Kalk Bay, with no particular mission in mind, we discovered a chocolate latte (like none I’ve ever had!!!) at some bakery and a Tibetan Teahouse (who would ever think!!!). What made the experience meaningful I suppose was not being interrupted by ringing phones, something which I only realised much later.

So, next time you find yourself spending some QT, make sure its QT and not just T.