Time
Time is both a noun and a verb. It measures the progress of events in the past, present and even the future when when taken as a whole. Time is a schedule, a measurement of activity, a plan for the unfolding of future events.
A cornucopia of phrases exists relative to our experience of time: ‘Best of times, worst of times’, ‘Time is money’, ‘Time waits for no man’, ‘Time flies’, ‘Time is short and there is long time’, ‘Out of time’, ‘Passing time’, ‘Quiet time’, ‘Time out’, ‘Time is now’, Time zones’, ‘Time management’, ‘Race against time’, ‘Timeless’, ‘Time is of the essence’, ‘Wasted time’, ‘On time’, ‘Timely’, ‘Timeline’, to list a few.
The sundials of ancient Babylon, popularized in ancient Egypt, are the earliest man made tools for measuring time. Monoliths throughout the world both large and small marked the passing of seasons…the equinoxes and solstices. Examples like Stonehenge, Ahu Akivi, Chacko Canyon, Machu Picchu, and the Sphinx, still do so today, with remarkable accuracy.
Tracking time evolved from ancient sundials through mechanical clocks that required water to function, to the pendulum, then to the spring drive and into the myriad forms present today…digital, electric, analog, hybrid, touchscreen etc.
Steve Jobs said, “It’s clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”
We all have a time budget. How we spend it has a direct influence on the quality of daily living, on our physical, emotional and spiritual health; and often upon those around us. Knowing our own bio-rhythms, our individual tolerance for activity or lack thereof, our goals, desires, passions, creativity, all contribute to spending time.
Albert Einstein reportedly used the following analogy to explain his relativity theory, “When you sit with a nice girl for two hours you think it’s only a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove for a minute you think it’s two hours.”
How we spend or endure time has the same quality. When doing what we enjoy, what we love, ‘time flies’. Time spent doing what is unpleasant and ‘time slows to a crawl’.
This week I invite you to examine your ‘time budget’. Is it working well?
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have. and only you can determine how it will be spent.” ~Carl Sandburg
Blessings!
