Time is Tricky

Do you remember when you were in grammar school and the year seemed to drag on forever until the Summer finally arrived? Then, the Summer flew by and before you knew it September arrived and you had to return to school? Well, at that same time, your parents felt that the school year flew by and the Summer dragged on and on. They were thrilled when September finally came so they didn’t have to figure out how to entertain their kids every day! Time is tricky that way. Here are some other examples:

• Engaged couples feel it is an eternity until their wedding date arrives while their families feel as if the planning has dragged on for ten years. Then the day is over in a matter of hours!
• When you book a vacation six months ahead it feels like a year and a half before you actually get to depart. Then you are coming home when you feel like you just arrived!
• You know when you are pregnant that your baby will be arriving within nine months, right? Then why does it seem to take forever for your bundle of joy to arrive?

The anticipation for these joyous events is what makes the time go in slow motion. It’s the planning that is involved that fuels the anticipation of the event and makes the timing seem elongated. I’m thinking this is where the phrase, “Something to look forward to” became commonplace.

“Ticking away the moments that make up the dull day, You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way. Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown Waiting for someone or something to show you the way Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain You are young and lfe is long and there is time to kill today And then, one day you find, ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun“

Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon

I have become very conscious of time lately. I wonder, am I having the time of my life? Should I be? What should I be doing differently so that I enjoy my time more? Phrases abound regarding time; “Time is fleeting,” “Time to enjoy life,” “Time is of the essence,” “Too much time on my hands,” etc. The reality is time defines our existence and how we use our time defines our legacy. I believe the importance of time gets highlighted for milestone events and aging.

Yup, I said it – aging. I was having dinner with a friend last week (in celebration of my birth month) and she and I talked about how we have more time behind us than we have in front of us. That’s a sobering thought, don’t you think? However, it is true; we are all aware that we will not live forever. It was a scary thing to talk about. Especially facing a milestone birthday coupled with the fact that only God truly knows how much time any of us has on this earth.

I feel as if “time” slapped me in the face last week. It was all over the news that actress Shannon Doherty of “90210” fame has had a Stage 4 recurrence of breast cancer. Shannon was diagnosed and treated during the same timeframe that I was. She was almost three years cancer-free when she was told her cancer returned. Frankly, that scares the heck out of me! Am I currently in the prime time of cancer recurrence myself? Do I need to spend all of my time worrying about having my cancer return as well?

No, I do not and I will not. What I will do is make the best use of the time I currently have right now. In order to do that, I need to know how I like to spend my time. Do you know how you like to spend your time? I mean, truly know? I’m sure a lot of people’s initial reaction to that question is, “on the golf course” or, “on the beach.” But, is that what you would do if God told you today you have two weeks left to live? This whole time thing has me feeling extremely reflective as I am sure you have noticed through this post. It has made me prioritize how I spend my time. I think that’s a good thing.

One thing I do know for sure is that I am grateful my clock is still ticking and I am going to enjoy all the time I can while I can. In the meantime, thank you very much for taking the time to read this post. Hopefully, it was time well spent. Okay, time to stop this.