The Gift Of Time

These past couple days have been amazingly wonderful for me....US. I suppose a near death experience will do that to a person. And during these precious days, I've reflected very deeply on TIME and the gift that it is. I'm not going to sit here and write about time and it's relation to eternity or anything like that. What I've realized though (for me in particular) is how much I...WE as people in general, take time for granted. We waste it. We piddle it away on stupid things. Gone are the hours used for gaming instead of playing outside and enjoying LIFE. Gone are the hours spent lounging on the couch for hours on end because "I've worked my ass off and deserve to relax." Gone are those precious hours that could have been spent getting to know your family better, or basking in the beauty of nature, or some other worth while activity that encourages growth, newness, or brain activity. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge advocate of romantic comedies or Spiderman movies or war documentaries (my husbands choice) or whatever. I LOVE movies. But as much as I love movies and the occasional video game, I do realize how easy it is to grow roots and watch one right after the other right after the other. And soon enough, the day is gone or my regular nights sleep has gone from 7 hours to 4 or 5 because I just HAD to watch another show. I get that. Or maybe it's hours on the phone when I could have spent the time in conversation with my husband or my neighbor down the street. Or maybe it's hours on the internet browsing and surfing and messaging "cyber friends" whom I've never met but somehow they've taken the place of the friends who I have a long history and who are right in front of my face. My dad said to me once that what defines a man/person is not his job or what he does as a profession, but rather how he spends his free time. It's something to think about. And as I've been thinking about these things, I also have been reflecting on my dear sweet loved ones who no longer have that time here on earth...time to experience and learn and give to others. But I do! Time is a precious thing. And it will inevitably come to an end for each and every one of us at some point. It could be tomorrow or years from now or maybe even minutes from now. We don't know. What matters is how we spend it. There is something to be said for "living in the moment". I used to think "carpe diem" sounded so careless and selfish. But it isn't. Enjoying this moment right now is what life IS. Loving your family and friends right now is what life is about.

"Enjoy this moment, for this moment is YOUR LIFE" (the heading from a friend's blog)