If time is of the essence, why do we spend so much of ours squandering it?
I’m pretty sure that if time were a person, I wouldn’t like her. She is unforgiving, relentless and waits for no one. She is also very sneaky and will take you out without warning or discrimination. Harsh.
I never gave time much regard, but as I get older I value it more and wish out loud I hadn’t squandered so much of it. Twenty four hours in a day quickly adds up to a lifetime of living before you know it.
We should respect time more, knowing that at some point we will run out of it.
I remember crying at each of my daughter’s birthday parties. I knew that it was the only birthday of her year that I would experience. I cried for happy … and for sad. Those days I did respect time and I clutched at the moments it gave me. It gave me plenty.
For those of us who have lost people we love, time is a bitter bitch. No other way to put it. There comes a moment in all our lives when we would give anything for one more day or the chance to do things over in a better way. We will never get it.
They say that time heals all wounds. I beg to differ. It’s true that some things hurt less in the memory of them, but the wound is still there. It’s learning how to manage it that gets us by, and time gives us the opportunity. For this, I’m grateful.
I’ve always found it irritating how the clock rules our lives. Business meetings, doctor appointments, dinner engagements, project deadlines. We can’t escape it. It organizes us and keeps us in tow, but it’s exhausting.
I feel badly for those people who do not respect time. It will slap them in the end. And where time is concerned, there is always an end.
I’ve heard it said that time is a thief. I disagree. I think it is a giver.
It gives us everything. It is in the not living of it that exhausts its existence.
I don’t know how much time I have. I do know I’m enjoying the time I’m in. I find myself humbled by it all.
Time has been a formidable teacher for me. I am not grateful for all of its lessons, but most. I don’t think I’m the only one who has felt kicked in the teeth by time’s passing, or thankful for its gracious gifts.
Time is a tricky business. Once lost, it can’t be found. I love growing old with it. I hope I’ve got lots more time to spend complaining (do you not know me at all?), visiting with friends, seeing plays, movies and concerts, sitting under a black sky gazing at the stars, and loving.
Loving is the most important part about our time. It’s all a gift. We are all better for remembering that.
If you know what you would do with one extra hour of time in your day … I hope you do it.
Joan Cooper - So glad you dropped in.
I think it was Einstein who said that Mankind invented ‘time’. It is not part of the universe. Well, the sun rises and sets, and the moon glows in the dark – regularly. Isn’t that time?
As I age, a year seems like 5 minutes and it isn’t because I am walking slower.
We should study this more. The difference between you and me, Tammy, is that you think of it and can write about it, while I think of it and ………………………….
Joan Cooper
Tammy - Hi Joan, Einstein was wicked smart but no matter how much of a sassy pants he was, time does exist and it seems as though we are always either racing against it or wasting it. Sad. I agree with you, time whisks by so much faster as we get older. Maybe we just value it so much more and never seem to find enough of it to do the stuff we want to do. I have a sneaky suspicion, Joan, that there are very little differences between us. I write, you think. It’s all pretty much the same thing. Love having you here. Thanks so much for the post!
Rick Gualtieri - Too true with all of it. Alas there are some things that an infinity of time can’t fix.
Tammy - Hi Rick, and this time the truth will not set you free. Yup, some things time only makes worse, but that is a whole other Blog entirely! Scooting over to your place for a nice read. Thanks for stopping in.
Stanley DeCovnick - so it does some are better users then others retirement has been one great time if you allow it remember the good the other things
Tammy - Hi Stanley, you are SO right. Retirement? I’m not sure I understand the term (chuckle). If I ever get there, I assure you I will enjoy every single second of it! Walks with my pup, time with my kids, beach afternoons, book fairs, neglected needlepoint, traveling, sleeping in and cuddling, watching old movies and reading good books. Ohhh, it sounds so lovely! Thanks for posting. So very happy to have you here!
Mel Glenn - I love your sensible outlook, esp. that time is not a thief, but a giver. I just wish it would give me more of itself. You always give the reader so much to think about.
Malissa - Hi Tammy,
Time for work, time for school, time for this time for that , I am tired of time, I can’t wait to retire so I can relax and not worry about what time is my next client , I know there will always be the question of what time is it , I just hope I can make the most of what time I have left. 🙂 lupe
Malissa - “Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters “lol this was posted on my Facebook page when I went to it after your post. 🙂 must be on everyone’s mind,l. Lupe
Shirlene - I see it this way…. We can either let time seem to rob us of everything that we think we need to squeeze into a 24 hour period or we can look at each day as an opportunity to live each day as if it could be our last. (It could be).
We can spend our day either spazzed out, stressed out, frantic and frustrated or we can look at everyday as a moment in time to smile, pause, find an opportunity to make someone else’s day a little bit sweeter.
We can choose to be, helpful, gracious and share a little love with those we encounter during our day. The number of days of our lives are only known by God, and I want to stand before Him with Him saying to me……”Well done”.
Some of my days are just a terrible wreck, but trying to keep my heart right and looking for opportunities to bless someone else…Now that is where my joy lies and in being able to be thankful for the good things in my life.. That is my reward.
Tammy - Hi Mel, thanks! I try. I think my outlook is akin to the glass half empty/half full. Time is both a thief and a giver. I prefer to concentrate on what it allows me to live and learn from. If I concentrated on the other aspect of it, I’d be cranky (a nice way of saying bitchy) all the time. Love having you on the other side of my blog, thanks for posting.
Tammy - Lupe, I saw something close to that too! We are all of one mind!! Awesome! Thanks for sharing Lupe (aka Malissa). Love having you here.
Tammy - Hi Shirlene, Give and you shall receive. Let us hope so. I wake up every morning saying “today is a new day, a new chance”. Truth. Some days I get it right, others .. not so much. The grace is in the trying.. Awesome to hear from you! Thanks for sharing your caring words.
Kellie - Time. I am a big on time management, being on time and taking time to enjoy your life.
Pamela O'Mack - Great article. So true!! Great blog, as usual!
Kesha, The Uncommon Chick - Hey Tammy, why does it seem like as soon as hit 30, Ms. Time seems to exponentially go by??! Sheesh 🙂
I am definitely enjoying my time and learning to use it more wisely every day.
This also reminds me to take down this stupid clock in my office that ticks loudly with each passing second. Not only is it annoying but it’s only reminding me that time is a ticking way too fast! LOL
~Kesha
Tammy - Hi Kesha, I HATE the sound of a ticking clock. It rings way too true for me. I wouldn’t be near one. Ever. Yeah, remember when we were kids and our parents and relatives would tell us to enjoy our youth because it would be gone in a blink of an eye? Who knew?! And so it goes. The older we get, the more we appreciate the time we have. Thereby goes the old saying “If I knew then what I know now …” If only. Awesome having you here, thanks so much for posting!
Tammy - Hi Pamela, so, so happy to have you here. Glad you enjoyed the read, and thanks so much for posting!
Tammy - Hi Kellie, We are on the same page. Time management sometimes escapes me, but not for long. These days find me appreciative of every single minute. Thanks for the post!