Tuesday, June 1, 2010

DON'T WAIT TO WISH THAT YOU HAD MORE TIME

On this particular late afternoon, I was playing with my dogs in the garage. Took out this piece of old sock and dangled it before Lucky and Buddy. They would crazily try to wrest it out of my hand. So we'd run round and round the garage -- me running with the old sock and them chasing me with happy determination. Happy! They love it when we do this every time. I'm loving it even more.

In trying to catch my breath I paused and allowed them to have the sock. It turns into a tug of war between the two canine beauties. And looking at their progress, it was apparent that the sock had no chance of surviving the battle as the two dogs wouldn't let go of their bite on each end of the poor old sock. But they both gave up soon after obviously tired out by the whole exercise. If the sock could talk, it probably would have said 'Pheww that was close!'.

I sat on the bench and looked out unto the street. Quiet and windy day. A most welcome relief after the sweltering heat of the past weeks. It must be nature hinting at the coming rainy season. Could be just around the bend. Why I'd throw a big party if only it would rain today!!

A nice big car came rolling down my street and seemed intent to go out the front gate if this guy on foot coming opposite him hadn't flagged him down which then caused the car to stop just off my front gate.. Apparently a friend. And I heard him say....

'Pare, may reunion sa bahay mamyang gabi. Dinner. Pupunta ang buong barkada. Punta ka ha!' (Hey pal, we're having a reunion with the rest of the gang tonight , dinner. Come, will ya!')

To this the friend behind the wheel replied.....

'Naku, pare, bising-bisi ako. May hahabuling reports sa opisina eh. Sorry na lang hah!' (Gee, got reports to finish at the office tonight. Got a deadline to catch. So sorry!)

Well, I didn't catch the rest of the conversation until the two parted ways. But what I heard got me to thinking. What are we doing with our time? Are we using it properly? On what things?

Time is precious and fragile. It comes and goes on a preset mode... steady. You can't change that nor rewind it nor try to slow it down nor quicken it up. It's steady... steadily flowing away... steadily rolling out... steadily ebbing... steadily moving on and forward ... just like the steady ticking of the wall clock.

And before we lose it, what are we going to do with our time?

We should make it matter. We should spend it wisely with people we love, things which enrich us, friendships which delight us, relationships which complete us, places which connect us in our hearts, events which bring out the best in us, activities which create good memories. These and other things more which truly put meaning into our mundane lives. We should make time for those. Enjoy the moment when it presents itself. Then it becomes even so much more meaningful and precious.

Don't wait to wish that you had more time. Find that time now.



14 comments:

  1. so true.. i agree.. time is a valuable thing.. watch the time go by as the pendulum swings (lyric from song by linkin park..in the end).. this is that valuable gift that we all would be asked to account for after life here is over.. but on a different note yeah lost time doesnt come back.. nice post!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, good lines from the linkin park song. :-) And correct.. "...lost time doesn't come back.." Never will.

    Great to see you here, Mark. Well, am going to enjoy this until it's time for your next disappearing act. Lols! :-)

    Take care, my friend.
    Blessings to you and your loved ones.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ellen,

    Read 2 posts now. I will just say

    " There is no gain without pain."

    and

    Someone said " I will give all my tomorrows for a single yesterday."

    Take care

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very well said... Time that we share with our loved once is the only thing that matters...rest is just life.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jack,

    Those are two great quotes. Love them. Thank you for sharing. I have always enjoyed and valued the insights you bring to my blog. Take care too and God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Aby,

    I can sense how devoted you are to your family. Such a lovely devotion which I greatly admire and appreciate. Thanks for taking time to drop by. Blessings to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  7. beautiful post Ellen..the true meaning of life is to enjoy each moment as it comes!!:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. So nice to see you, Sana! Yeah indeed it is -- "...the true meaning of life is to enjoy each moment as it comes!!:)" I hope that you have a good day with all your loved ones today! God bless you all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really enjoyed this little window into your life. You have a gift from God in your writing, it's very refreshing and inspiring...

    ReplyDelete
  10. what a great and 'timely' post. I'm listening....and wanting to do what you suggested....use my time wisely. Thank you so much for this.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Deborah Ann,

    So lovely to see you! :-) You have blessed me with your presence. Thank you. May God bless you back a hundredfold.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Sarah,

    Great to see you here. :-) We're both listening Lols!. Sometimes when we write about something we get to understand that thing better. Opens windows and doors in our minds. And that is a good thing.

    Take care. Blessings to you & family.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Ellen
    coming here after a long time:P really liked the post. agreed that time is precious, but there are times when some things take priority over other things and we cannot do what we want to. case in point, the friend in da car had work to do, nw if he really loves what he is doing n has no other option then it wudnt have been posssible for him to attend the reunion party. in that case, in his list of priorities work comes first, which is ok provided he sets aside time to make up for not meetin up with friends.
    I know its killing at times when you cannot be with your close ones. Also there is the other you, who is expected to be responsible and committed to work .its a really tough balancing act. I can relate to it, cos i love my work but also love my friends and family. And sometimes when i have to choose between the two it gets annoying. Ofcourse family n friends come first, but sometimes i end up not attending birthdays as i hv some prior work commitments. what then to do in that case?:D
    take care
    ciao

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh yes, TD, it is a tough balancing act. And it all depends on the person as to what things hold dear to him or her on his list of priorities.

    I was in that same situation before working at my reports like any responsible employee would. But when birthdays or school programs or illness of the children came.. it was apparent what my priorities were. And my bosses respected that. I had to make a firm stand on that line because I knew that life is short and that people won't be in your life forever, none exempted. So I told myself long before marriage that family would be first and foremost on my list.

    So it all depends on a person's priorities. Different folks, different strokes. Do what you're comfortable with. An aunt once said to me "There are many ways to cook stew." That applies to life too.

    It is so nice having you here exchanging thoughts like this. I treasure and value your insights. And too appreciate your unique talent with the camera.

    More power to you. God bless!

    ReplyDelete

:-) Here's where I warmly welcome you and where you leave your footprints behind with fond memories attached to it of wonderful chats and friendships. Thank you for your comments. Or send your comments to ellen622@gmail.com. Will be seeing you in your blog too. God bless you!