This last weekend, my husband and I sat at the kitchen table teaching our son the value of time. WE forget that when one is young, the days stretch before us unbearable and unending. Yet when we are old – we have no time.
We have no time to read
No time to write
No time to call
No time to listen
No time to go
No time to come
No time to …. But is this the truth?
We laid out the 12 hour period for which he would be awake on a sheet of paper, and detailed each hour as a separate bracket of time. We explained the concept of time investment and return. What are you doing with your time, and what do you get out of it at the end?
Last night, I was conversing with a cousin of mine and when the question of family members came up (not strangers – family. People who put a roof over his head) – he explained that he chooses not to keep in touch due to some long gone conflict. He said, ‘I have no time for the family b.s.’So I reminded him that we when die, our friends do not bury us. Family takes the time to do that. And that I hope since he isn’t putting up with b/s from family, that he will follow through those principles with friends and lovers alike. He said ‘I hear ya’. And I hope he did.
Strangely enough, 30 minutes later– I received a long distance call from another cousin. I have not spoken to him since he became a man. It must be at least 15 years. He said “I thought I would call you all and check up on you. Everything has its time”.
You see – there are some things that never cross our mind, some that we forget, some that we don’t see the value in , some that we don’t want to put forward the effort for – some that we afraid to do because we fear the outcome… but there are others that we need to admit – we don’t want to do – don’t care about and all these things take a certain priority in our lives.
WE do Find the -Time to go shopping
Time to talk to the same person over and over about the same thing
Time to watch television
Time to surf the net
Time to work
Time to pretend to work
Time to ask for assistance from others
and my favourite – Time to abuse the time of others (who we have no intention of giving the time to)
But this week (and THANK YOU to the writer’s strike) – I can continue to reevaluate my time – my life – continuously –to reprioritize on a daily basis – how shall I live today given the time I have? And this morning on my way to work – I didn’t think of what I hoped to accomplish at the office – I already dedicate 8 or my 13 waking hours there. I took the time to think of my cousins and pray for them and thank God for them. In all three of these cases, each moment – each experience- took no longer than 10 minutes. Ten minutes of my time. Their time. Our lives. Time well invested.
