I’ve never met Helen Jones…in person. But I don’t need to (even though I’d love to). She reaches through the screens of Zoom-land and sends me wisdom on a regular basis. (Who’s bitching about Zoom??)

In a meeting some months ago, I was reeling off various delays and hangups and frustrations and complications … . YADDA YADDA YADDA.

“Things take longer than you think”, said Helen.

Well now ain’t THAT the truth?

I jotted it down on a scrap of paper and stuck it on the wall above my desk: REMEMBER THAT!

And in the intervening months, the more I look at those words, the truer they ring. And the more I accept it as NORMAL. Possibly even desirable. While the time is being taken, one comes across hitherto-unknown, felicitous side-roads, discoveries, diversions. In a rush, not so much.

“Anything worth doing is worth doing well”, was the mantra of my beloved grade-school teacher, Mr. L..

And this “doing well”…simply takes more time than you think.

AND THAT’S OK.

This rejoinder came straight away from another member—or several—of the Zoom group; it’s practically our motto. (As in: I didn’t do a scrap of work today…AND THAT’S OK. Or: I worked 15 hours straight today…AND THAT’S OK.)

During March, I was hibernating, hunkering down to get some creative and practicing work done. I enjoyed it thoroughly. And still, the Helen Jones Principle hit me upside the head pretty much daily.

Things take longer than you think.

AND THAT’S OK.

For April…more hunkering. Why? Because “Anything worth doing is worth doing well” (we should insert a caveat about WHAT we define as “worth doing”, but that’s for another day, another blog), and because “things take longer than you think” (except when they don’t…Gladwell/Blink/…yet another day/blog).

Thank you so much for the peace of mind, dear Helen—I’m going to ENJOY my hunkering down to do the work, for just as long as it takes.