There is something I received yesterday in an email from James Clear.  It is related to what I have been thinking about a lot of late.
"Opportunities are grains of sand. They slide right past drooping fingers, but an active palm can gather whatever is within reach and shape it into a little castle. It is the act of engaging with the material that gives it shape."
It all has to do with something I quoted recently from Ernest Hemingway.  ‘Gradually then suddenly.”
I really feel that the “gradually” time is what this lsaying relates to.  To me it is the gradually time I need to make the most of.  To me the gradually time is my preparation time.  It is advantageous to me to make the most of it.
I can though spend all my spare time watching tv or on social media.  But I will have nothing to show for the time, and when the pressure is on (like in the “suddenly” time) I mayl lack the strength I need to deal with it.  Good chance that while I am off trying to get the strength I need, the crisis will come to a head and I will be at a loss and unable to deal with it.
On the other hand I like what is said about “an active palm can gather whatever is within reach and shape it into a little castle.”
I reckon big time that is what I need to do.  There is stuff within my reach that I can use.  For me the internet is a biggy these days.  I need only type in a thought or question and a multitude of different ideas come up.  Also there are a lot of books I can read.  It is commonly said that no one reads these days, but so many interviews I see on tv feature shelves of books in the background.  Other people also have stuff I relate to and use.
The bottom line for me is to make use of what is at hand.  Little or much, some is useful and not to be disregarded.

Yesterday was the day I consider my day off.  I try not to book appointments and I leave the day free to do what I feel needs to be done, or do what I have in mind to do.
We knew that the rubbish man was coming at around 7am.  We also knew the bin was relatively empty and there were weeds still in the ground we wanted to get rid of.  They seem to be like the most efficient weeds out.  They stick to our cloths and use us to go from one place to the next.  And the thing about weeds and all plants in general is that one seed does not produce on plant.  One seed potentially produces many plants.  These weeds were following the script.
Anyway these weeds time had come though they did not know it.  I was up and atom and thought I can give an hour to pulling weeds.  That is what I did.  From 6am I had our bin open and was pulling out weeds and loading the bin. 
My goal was to deal with every blooming weed I saw.  I went up and down one driveway, and across the centre strip, and up and down the other driveway.  I also dealt with the approach to the home.
In the end I could not see one weed I wanted taken away. (I saw a couple later when wiper snippering in an area I had not touched).  That took about 30 minutes
Merril’s mum arrives late tonight so the next thing I did was to start setting up the room we are making into a granny flat (when someone actually accepts the job).  I did stuff initially and left Merril to make it the way she wanted it.
Merril did heaps of things.  Nothing like us putting our heads down and working to a plan.
I had to move doors we are keeping and rearrange the Studio (our word to identify which shed) to house them.
I also did something that was reinforced by a quote I used the other day.  “Gradually then suddenly.”  I studied some stuff I am interested in.  I figure this is a gradually time.
One thing is for sure though.  I was cactus by the end of the day.