Jus' now.

Jus' Now. Two simple words that on their own are simple, and you may be wondering why I chose to start a blog mentioning them. But I will get to the reason shortly. First looking at “just”, its definition as an adverb is simple: exactly. Now, look at “now” and the definition is at the present time or moment, which seems to indicate a sense of urgency. Parents scream at their children to stop fighting “NOW!” , children cry, “I want ice cream, NOW!” and your boss has surely yelled, “I need that report on my desk NOW!”. Certainly words of definite importance to American culture on their own.

But in Guyana, put these words together, and you simply have the Guyanese way of life. Jus' Now has infinite translations, many of which I am still learning and trying to wrap my head around. Despite the individual word's meanings, together, they create a beautiful contradiction of each other. The “just” seems to loose its exactness, and the “now” crumbles away to oblivion.  You see, Jus' Now, does not mean what I as an American first expected when I heard the phrase used. It does not mean, I will do what you ask exactly right this instant. It means the opposite. It can mean, “I'll get to it five minutes from now....five hours... five days or longer”. When you make plans with someone, you always factor in “jus' now” time... if you say 8, plan for 9. If you are waiting for a friend and they Whatsapp you that they will be there, jus' now, better take a seat and get comfortable.

My first few months in Guyana, I loathed these words, as my American background, customary pace of life and sense of urgency that I know fills so many of us, resisted and trembled at the concept of this idea. American culture adheres to the “NOW” , and life moves so quickly that there is often little time for anything but work, eat, sleep... work, eat, sleep. This is the background that so many of us come from. So naturally, “jus' now” ground at me and made me inner being cringe.

But then something miraculous happened. Contrary to my learned nature, after months of being subjugated to “jus' now”, I have grown to find the concept of “jus' now” beautiful and appealing. Despite my initial hatred of the idea, I have come to realize that Jus' Now is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. It is a reminder to take time to smell the roses... or coconuts. It is a reminder that when you are racing to get out the door, and you suddenly see a beautiful Guyanese sunset, time becomes irrelevant.

Jus' now can be a convenient excuse to achieve something greater... I often find myself using jus' now when it comes to cleaning. I'll get to it jus' now... right now I am going to lay in my hammock and read a book, or gaff with my neighbor, or watch my kitten discover something new about the world. Ultimately, this is much more fulfilling to the soul than stressing about cleaning... which will get done, jus' now. 

Despite what I initially thought, Jus' now is actually a sign of respect as it acknowledges that you will get back to someone jus' now... rather than the American norm of hitting the silence button to ignore a pesky call you simply don't have time for. I have witnessed Guyanese in the heat of action, answer the phone, simply to say, “I will call you back jus' now”. Wouldn't you rather be acknowledged, than ignored? 

There are so many reasons to use the jus' now for Guyanese... children need to be bathed, fed and entertained... mind you, at home this is as simple as turning on the shower... sticking left overs in the microwave, or stopping the car at McDonalds... of turning on the television or handing your kid an ipad. But in Guyana, a shower is often lugging water from a pipe or river and bathing with a bucket; lunch is always home cooked with love often using vegetables and meat from the backyard... and entertainment is what you can find in and around your community.


Perhaps it is what I came to Guyana to find for myself. I have struggled for a long time to find my sense of purpose in this world, to find the meaning behind all that I have done this far in my short life and to find my future. I think I need to take my cue from the Guyanese... I will figure it out, jus' now.