I don’t have enough time in my day to do that. Where can I find the time to squeeze in practice? How do you expect me to get all this done in this little amount of time? Time…time….time or the lack of time sometimes makes you want to pull your hair out.
Time plays a very important part in all of our lives. It can control where you go, what you can do, or who you can visit. I do think that our lack of understanding time is actually the biggest downfall of our world today. No one seems to place importance on the value of time, just on how much they can squeeze into a certain time period. When you go to your family, friends, or neighbors, and ask them what does time mean to you or how do you place a value on time; you’ll get a lot of different answers but at the root of all those answers is the most basic “ how I can fit the most things into a certain period of time”.
But if you were to ask children or even adults after their parents have passed away, what do you wish you had from someone: a surprising answer is just this simple: their time.
We can rush through life trying to squeeze in as much as we can, putting quantity over quality. But the one thing we can never get back is the opportunity to make memories with those that we love and care about. So instead of worrying about how much stuff you can fit into your day or I could do this next week but let me do it today so I can earn more money; take a deep breath and slow down and look at your family around you.
Have you missed a baseball game? What about a volleyball game or a football game? Have you missed a Boy Scout or Girl Scout meeting? Or missed the opening night of your child’s play? When your son or daughter asks you to play with them or to read them a story, did you reply with not right now or that you didn’t have enough time? Did you reschedule that date night with your wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend? Did you cancel the family dinner with your parents or grandparents or other family members?
Time can pass you by in an instant and you won’t even realize that you’ve missed out on great memories. So this is my challenge for you in 2018, and I truly hope that each of you will find the time to do this: I challenge each one of you, including myself, to slow down and take those fleeting moments of time and turn them into amazing memories. Take 5 minutes to call a family member or friend and tell them you love them and are thinking of them, your tv show or movie can wait. Hug your child and read them that bed time story, deadlines can wait 10 minutes. Don’t miss out on a moment that could be gone in an instant. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life upset with yourself for missing the chance to tell somebody that you love them or that you cared for them or that you were there for them. Seize every moment and treat it as if it was your last. Even if it’s only five minutes, it could end up changing someone’s entire world or even possibly saving their life. So put down the book, turn off the TV, or close your laptop; and take back those moments of time before they slip through your fingers forever. Let yourself bring a little bit of sunshine into someone’s dark world.