Who is this thief of time, that robs us of the ones we love? This morning, I woke up thinking about time–how fleeting it is. Maybe it’s because of another new year starting; maybe it’s just that something–a memory, a conversation, a passage in a book brings to mind the rush and hurry of time passing, like wind blowing around the corner. It’s here, it’s gone, and there’s no way to slow it down or bring it back. So, yes, this morning I am certainly in a pensive mood. Maybe it’ll pass. I hope so. Pensive moods are not a happy place to be.
Technology–can I blame it? Yes, I suppose I can. It’s a wonder, an amazing addition to modern life that should be a help. And, it certainly is that. Everything seems to hinge on technology any more. If it collapsed, could the world return to the way it was a hundred years ago? I don’t know. Everything might fold inward upon itself because it seems that more and more of life has technology as its foundation. But, technology can be a thief. A thief of time that should be spent with actual, living, honest-to-goodness people. People are the real miracles. Technology, barring something awful, will always be with us. People will not.
How many times have I seen mothers shopping or walking through a parking lot, children in tow, and a phone is glued to their ear? They might be with their children, but are only marginally aware of them. Their real interest is the conversation coming into their ear through their device.
It breaks my heart when children are so eager to share with adults what they’ve learned in school or a wonderful discovery or a traumatic experience and they are told to wait until Mom or Dad or Grandma finishes that all-important conversation. Those moments, when they are not recognized and responded to, are lost, gone forever, and they won’t be coming back.
One of my many failings is wanting to get work done first before doing fun things. I remember times when a child or grandchild wanted to play a board game but first, I had to finish washing dishes or sweeping the floor. Why? Was my chore that important? No, it wasn’t. It was just a compulsion, I suppose, or the old saying, “First we work, and then we play.”
But, thieves don’t always come disguised as the good old work ethic. Sometimes, they wear no mask at all and we recognize them as being selfish. Maybe we should be using our time more wisely, but we really want to do what we want to do, not have our time intruded upon by someone else’s need.
Thieves of time abound. Thieves are sneaky; they come disguised as any number of good, harmless things, but they all have one thing in common, they are not nearly as important as time.
So, today, I am pensive bordering on being sad. Now, I’ve often used time wisely; don’t get me wrong, but this morning I’m assailed by all the times I didn’t. I guess, since time can’t be reclaimed, the best remedy is to use it wisely today. For that, I need prayer and wisdom and guidance. And, forgiveness, especially forgiving myself, and a determination to do better. Is that a New Year’s resolution? If it is, it is one that I hope to keep. I want to hang onto it, keep it with me daily, and never let it be stolen away.
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