Name A Resource
You spend and spend but can’t get rid of it, and there’s more coming.
It matters not the size of the vessel. It could be a moment, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, or year. Time is always arriving on time.
Some say we have too much of it. Say that to someone my age, and they’ll tell you you’re wrong. There’s not enough.
Share that thought with a teenager waiting for their learner’s permit or license, and they’ll tell you it moves too slowly. If only there were less of it.
As Superman once said, “It ebbs and flows.” The truth is that it moves in and out of our lives with too much and not enough attention paid to it. Why is that?
What did your parents teach you about time? When did they start? When did you become aware of time? Was it when your Mother said, “Wait until your Father gets home.” Or perhaps when the school bus was moments away, and you realized you shouldn’t have done all those things you like to do without regard for time?
When there’s an impending event, we become more aware. Is the event of our own making or the requirement of others? It matters because of the level of importance we place upon it.
Time is a commodity like money and space. Unlike money and space, there is more, always more. Well, not always more. If you’re dying or know that your death is imminent, then you fully realize the scarcity of time.
Once time is spent, you can’t get that specific time back, but more is nearly always available. But what does that matter if you don’t plan your time?
The real problem with time is its scheduling or lack thereof. Ben Franklin said:
“If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.”
Failure may be too strong, but you won’t accomplish anything unless you plan to use the time. And when the time you failed to plan passes and you regret not taking the time to accomplish something, you’ll have to live with that regret.
Interaction with people, an opportunity, an event, or something you failed to plan for can cause regret and sorrow. When a loved one unexpectedly dies, what then? Has that ever happened?
Most people consider me Mr. Cross Filed and Indexed. And still, I have deep regrets for not spending more time with my children when they were young. I was too busy being who I was and seeing to the needs of others. Don’t get me wrong. I loved every moment of what I did. It’s my priorities that I struggle with. I hope I’ve made an appropriate life course correction.
Time lost with a child can never be fully recovered. That child, who was eleven, is now forty-seven. Another is now forty-three. Yes, I spend time with all my children in any way I can, but none of them will ever be five, seven, nine, eleven, fourteen, or even fifteen and a half again.
Honestly, we both know how important time is. I’m confident that everything I’ve mentioned has passed through your mind several times.
Commitment is the key. Commit to spending time wisely. Here’s an idea I started using in my fifties. I should have done this much earlier in my life. The idea is this:
As we close our day, most of us review its successes and failures, but not necessarily the time we spent or didn’t spend on what we did. Use that time to get better at being you.
This piece of writing has been a labor of love. This will be successful if even one person sees the wisdom of incorporating one or more ideas into their daily life.
It’s given me an idea for a new book titled “A Month of Life Lessons.” Each chapter (31) contains an article or lesson from my stories. A chapter a day. This will give the reader sufficient time that day to contemplate how best to incorporate the material into their lives.
Call to action: Begin today, considering each day if you should have spent more time on something.
Thanks for reading,
✍ — I would greatly appreciate it if you commented to let me know you saw this post. Thank you!
©DR Rawson
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