Time

Time is a gift. Time is also one of our most important teachers. Time is one of those things in life where we have many different emotions attached to it. Time is what we use to analyze our life. Sometimes there is too much, sometimes not enough. Time has a mystical, magical quality which guides us in the way we relate to our day, our lives, and to each other. On one occasion, you can be at work anxious to leave, where ten minutes feels like a lifetime, and then on another occasion, you can connect with an old friend after forty years and feel an overwhelming sense of joy like not a day has passed. Twenty-four hours in a day can sometimes feel like it’s not enough, then when you are involved in an activity you don’t like or with someone you don’t want to be with, it feels like too much. Not enough time, too much time, it is all in our perspective and the emotions attached to it. The lesson that I have learned is that time is a gift, and we should use it wisely. Time should never be wasted or taken for granted no matter what the circumstance, because we never know what tomorrow will bring.

When I look back on my life, I can see with clarity the moments I wasted time and the moments when I was present and cherished it. I can remember the times that now feel like wasted time, because I did things (or didn’t do things) out of fear or just not having enough confidence to move forward. I can look back and see the times where I was stuck or confused and know for a fact that I would do things differently. We can never get back the time lost or wasted, but we can always move forward with the lesson that time taught us. We can never look back with regret because we were just doing our best with the knowledge we had at that time. We learn lessons and gain knowledge and then do better. We get wise with age. The mistakes I made in the past are part of who I am now, and all those mistakes and lessons molded me into who I am now. Now that I am older and have learned a lesson or two, I navigate through my day, my work, and my relationships very differently than I did when I was younger. I am no longer in survival mode, now I feel present. My day to day, yes if you know me, then you know that I fight the clock because I am trying to squeeze too much in a day and get lost in what I am doing; but when it comes to respecting the time we have here, that I am fully aware.

My biggest lesson attached to time is learning patience. I am learning to balance what I have learned with the reality of knowing that time is not going to rush things along for me just because I took half of my life to figure things out and now would like things to unfold quickly. The reality is the steps, and the lessons are still there, and you have to go through them. I must respect the Divine Timing of how my life unfolds and the way other people around me navigate through their day and their lessons. I must respect that time is different for everyone and their perception of time may be different than mine. Our timelines and lessons may be the same or they may be different, they may lag behind, or they may pass me by, they may be my students, or they may be my teachers, they may be in my life for a short time, or they may be in my life for a long time. Only time will tell.

We live in a world of instant gratification, phone in hand expecting instant replies, so patience is something that isn’t as part of the norm as it once was. I grew up waiting for the bus, waiting to find a pay phone, waiting to get home to listen to the answering machine, waiting to turn 18, 21, 25, 30, 40, 50. Now that I look back you would think I had patience down to a science, but I don’t. I am a part of this world now and want things quickly and love my next day shipping. The lesson for me, and should be for everyone, is to not put that same expectation on people and relationships. When it comes to certain things, I have all the patience in the world, but when it comes to other things, patience is something I am learning to navigate through. I always say when my time here is up and I am asked what the hardest lesson to learn was, my response will be patience and forgiveness. Patience with myself and with others, and forgiveness for myself and for others for what we didn’t know. Patience, forgiveness, healing, they all involve time, and the lessons learned in that time, and I am still learning to respect and navigate my way through all of them.

As we are approaching the New Year, I like to set goals. This is a great time to set goals for yourself on how to use your time wisely. Be present and be in the moment. Make that call, see that movie, take that class, go on that trip, see that concert, whatever your heart desires. Our time here doesn’t have to be measured in years; it can be measured in how much we loved what we did and how much we loved who we were doing it with.

In love and light,

Fran