Writing Prompt: Five Minutes

This month, we feature an essay from our archives: Five Minutes by Dionne Ford.

In this essay, Dionne describes a morning where she and her family find themselves running late from the minute they get out of bed. Once everyone is dressed, fed, and delivered to their morning destinations, she wrestles with how to best use the three hours she has to herself.

“Three hours to myself. Do I listen to the radio? Read the paper? Work out? Do laundry? Pack up the summer clothes and pull out the autumn ones? Go grocery shopping? Meditate? Work on my novel?

Two hours and thirty minutes left. I work out and listen to the radio and read the newspaper all at the same time.

One hour and thirty minutes left. I eat breakfast/lunch and take a shower.

One hour left.

I work on my novel. It was much more exciting when I started it seven years ago, before kids, before I knew what I know now. Time is precious.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Write about your daily routine and the time that’s most precious to you.