Jera: Making Good Use of Our Time

On my way to see a patient (I was doing private duty nursing), I picked Jera, the rune of harvest, encouragement, and learning from experience, as I was going out the door (I often pick a rune on the run) and immediately thought: "Make the most of your time today." Underlying thoughts were: "Know what motivates you." And "Use what you've learned." As you know if you read these posts, or if you have studied Contemplation, the first thoughts that come into your mind when you pick a rune are especially relevant.

My patient was in physical therapy when I got there, so I sat down in the waiting area and pulled out my notebook. I thought of Jera, and wrote down whatever came to mind as fast as I could. The list went: "As the world turns," (the old soap my grandmother liked), Wheel of Fortune tarot card---our lives go up and down---vicissitudes (changes of circumstances or fortune, they are called), a globe (an alternate form of Jera is a straight line with the two Kano's meeting in the center and rotating around the axis---the spinning earth), "your time is your life," "time is money (energy)," "what you put out, you get back." Chickens come home to roost. Back scratching, quid pro quo. Reciprocity. Time goes by so fast. What does it mean to "waste" time? Why would we ever want to "kill" time? Is time a "gift"? Time allows us to learn, evolve, create, develop. A creative medium, too, I believe time is. Sometimes it seems that time has substance and weight. It hangs heavy on us when we're not in the flow.

These were some of the things in my notes. Most of all, Jera inspired in me the idea of making the most of my time that day. I knew the opportunity to do so would come. All I had to do was pay attention. This is one thing about rune play and using a rune of the day for inspiration: You don't have to make anything up or figure it out. You don't have to work to apply it. All you have to do is be alert and let it come to you. Let it happen.

It happened later in the day.

First, for some reason, instead of bringing a pack of cards to play our usual game in the early afternoon, I'd grabbed a drawing tablet. I didn't even think about it or decide to do so. I just grabbed it on my way out the door. Now I pulled it out of my bag and I put it on the bedside table and started doodling. After a while, I engaged my patient in drawing little things. (My patient was an elderly woman who did little but watch TV and play bingo.) It took some encouragement, but she finally got into it. Then she drew a house, and I asked her, "Who lives in that house?" She looked at me as if I were nuts. "Just make it up," I said. "Who lives there?" Finally, she finally replied, "A skinny man." I asked, "What's his name?" "Gary," she immediately replied. I kept asking questions and she kept making things up.

Well, it turned out that Gary was married to Mary. Very briefly: They both worked at Walmart; he sold clothes and she sold jewelry. Mary liked to wear skirts; Gary like to wear flannel shirts. They drove a Ford. They were in their 20s and didn't have any children yet. Their big dream was to go gambling in Mexico. But Mary had a secret she hadn't told Gary about: She was afraid of traveling. When he wasn't there, she would practice packing her suitcase for the trip. They had almost saved up enough money for the trip and she wanted to be ready, but she was afraid she wouldn't be. She was full of anxiety. Gary had a secret, too. He'd been married before and his exwife had just moved back into town. He was trying to avoid her. He was worried about how Mary would react if she found out.

The story went on and on...and my patient was amazed at her creativity. She had no idea she could make things up like this. She had discovered a whole new world. It's hard for me to describe what a good time we had and how satisfied I felt when I left for the day. I don't think any of this would have happened if I hadn't picked Jera and gotten the message to make the most of my time. I led my patient into a whole new world of experience and self-discovery. I felt that I had truly used my time with her well.