Day 39 – Time In A Bottle

Time is of the essence.

Time is money.

Time is a resource we simply cannot afford to waste.

Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”~ Harvey MacKay

What is time?  Time becomes evident through motion and is measured by comparison with other motions. Sunrise sunsets, night and day, the changing seasons, the movement of the celestial bodies are all indicative of continuous change.  The aging process is a reminder that molecular motion and interactions are also at work and are a part of time. We perceive time as flowing from the past through the present and into the future. We have memory of past events, but of course no memory of future events.

In the bible, time is described as:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven — A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. King Solomon, The Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (“A Time for Everything”)

Interestingly, the musical group, The Byrds, sang ”Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)”, which is a song adapted entirely from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible and put to music by Pete Seeger in 1959.

What I’m trying to really say is this: People, wake up! We cannot afford to waste our time because life is short. Make the most of it. Cherish and treasure the people and things that you love. Don’t take anything for granted and live life to the fullest! Take notice of the world around you. No matter what you’re doing, try to find something beautiful around you. Maybe on your way to work or school, you go over a beautiful bridge, or you get a view of the sunrise behind the city buildings. Realizing these small things can bring life and happiness even to the most boring or routine days. Be thankful for those little things.

So, today I am grateful for allowing myself to be so thankful in my life. When you find yourself wishing for something you don’t have, or wishing your life would be different, start your quest for your wish by being thankful for what is already in your life. This will bring you back to the present moment. Make a list of what you are thankful for right now even if all you can think of is that you are alive and can breathe. You don’t want to miss the gifts right in front of you, because you are always looking beyond what is in the present moment to what once was or what might be. If you are thankful for what is, you’ll be happy to be in the moment instead of some place else.

I leave you with the song which best exemplifies the value of time, “Time in a Bottle“, that was a Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit for singer-songwriter Jim Croce.