Time — Seize It, Don’t Waste It

Thank You Notes Prompt #32

Life is full of countless reminders that time is fleeting. Some are small — like the tick of the clock on the nightstand or the turn of a page on the calendar. Other reminders come at you with more weight — like birthdays or a cancer diagnosis.

There’s no escaping Father Time. Tricks to evade him are only illusions, yet the plastic surgery and Botox industries are booming. For generations, people have been seeking the Fountain of Youth, but nothing can stop time. Nothing.

So why waste it looking for a temporary fix? Let’s focus on what we can control — the present. That’s how I’ve learned to value time in my life. Instead of dwelling on its inevitable passage, I choose to make the most of every moment of every day, at least forcing Father Time into the shadows.

The pivotal word in my approach is “choose.” Finding happiness in life is a choice, and it doesn’t always come naturally. It must be intentional. It requires practice — repetition and constant reminder.

That’s why when I came home yesterday to a pile of shoes like the one in the above picture, I had to make a deliberate decision to ignore my gut reaction and pass them right by.

My first instinct was to cringe and to start organizing them into less of a mess. But, what that jumble of footwear represents is the fact that my kids are home. All three of them. And they’ve brought friends. Nothing halts time more than knowing my family is back intact.

Greeting the group of familiar faces seated around my kitchen, I felt such warmth and joy, followed by an abrupt pang of sadness. Time had passed — too quickly. I stared at my children, so grown-up and adult-looking.

I could picture them around that table in their high-chairs, eating Cheerios with their tiny fingers and mashing food in their hair. As they grew older, they used to fight over who sat where for dinner, and whisper to one another so I couldn’t hear them complaining about having to clear the dishes. Now they’re playing cards and drinking beer. They’ve moved on to bigger things, separate lives, and time seems to have swept away part of my heart.

My mind leaped back to a time when the shoes in the hallway pile were much smaller, sized to protect feet that could fit in the palm of my hand. Before those feet could walk, it was a struggle to keep socks over them, and there’s nothing more irresistible than a set of baby toes fresh from the bath. The sadness started to settle in my gut, threatening to overshadow the joyful opportunity right in front of me.

Without thinking any further, I pulled up a chair. “Deal me in!”

I wasn’t about to waste another second reminiscing about the past. That would have been the easy move, perhaps the more natural one. But, they’re only here together for a few days. I’d rather make new memories than resurrect the old ones.

While the shoes in the hallway could have taken me in a different direction, I’m choosing to see them as a sign to kick off my own, and enjoy the time we’ve got!