Time

Time… It’s such an interesting concept. It seems like we’re in this bittersweet relationship with time – one we didn’t ask to be in, and one we so desperately wish we could control (but know deep down we can’t). It seems to be in constant motion, flux and juxtaposition.

Time is something we treasure, but it’s also something we (unintentionally) devalue. Sometimes we want time to stop (or at the very least slow down), but other times we plead for it to speed up. Time can pass by slowly, and it can be hard work to get through the days, the hours, the minutes. Or, time can go by entirely too fast – you blink, and what was your present becomes a near-distant memory. We never feel like we have enough time, yet sometimes we have all the time in the world. We don’t know how it’s possible a year went by, yet when we look to the next year, it seems like a lifetime away (unreachable).

Time never seems to be what we want it to be.

Time is also something we question throughout life regarding "timing". When is the right time to…get married, have kids, ask for a promotion, move, join a gym, have that tough conversation, change jobs, get divorced, go back to school, go on vacation..? What I’ve learned over the years (I think many my age have) is it’s never going to be the "right time". So, just do it. Get married, have that baby, ask for that promotion, move, join that gym, have that tough conversation, change jobs, leave your marriage if you need to, go back to school, and take that vacation! Don’t wait. Live your life and follow your heart. Because waiting likely won’t change the fact that challenges will still be challenges - they just look a little different depending on where you’re at in life.

Obviously, for me, my sense of freedom with time is somewhat restricted right now, and a lot of it is very much out of my control. I can’t do many of the things I want to do (e.g., take that vacation) that many of you can. And I think that’s why I want to encourage you to do those things that maybe you’re afraid of or feel like it’s “not the right time”. Some might say time is all I have in here. That’s true to some extent, but it matters more how I spend that time – it matters more now than it ever has. We want to control time, but need to remind ourselves that time is something we can’t control. We can’t control it, but we can control how we spend it.

Chelsea and I can’t spend hours on the phone every day like we used to. We only get 10 minutes per call, which means we’ve learned to be very intentional in how we spend that time. The kids can’t FaceTime me anytime they want. I only get to hear their sweet little voices for a few minutes at a time, but we make it count (and always make each other laugh). So, while there isn’t a lot of time to connect with them, the time I do have with them is precious. And, I am so grateful for it!

How we spend our time (now) matters, in the present moments we’re given. It matters so much to the people we will become, are continuing to be, and (for some) to those little blessings in our life that look up to us so much. It's not in that distant memory or in something that may or may not happen tomorrow.

Let's keep making time matter!