Yet how you miss me when I have flown.
Time.
When we’re children we wish it away, and as adults we wish for it back.
I’ve been doing that a lot lately… wishing for more time… especially now that the release date for my book is LESS THEN 2 MONTHS AWAY! Yikes! Where did “the time” go?
Isn’t that what everyone always says?
We talk about time the same way we talk about a lost set of keys. “They must be around here somewhere! They couldn’t have just gotten up and walked away!” In reality, the keys are blameless, and we’re the ones who tossed them, dropped them, or walked away from them in a mental fog of our own making.
The same can be said for lost time.
Mental fogs come in all shapes and sizes and no one is immune. In addition to our day- to-day responsibilities and tasks, we’re surrounded by technology and services that are constantly vying for our attention (especially those little time sucks we call cell phones). It’s exhausting and unavoidable. Or is it?
Limited Time.
As a child, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and I cherish the memories we made together. But it wasn’t until I began writing Strong Strings that I realized why those memories were so important.
We never went anywhere fancy, or spent a lot of money… we played games, built puzzles, ate food, watched tv, and talked. That was it. Nothing grand or extravagant.
But it mattered.
It all mattered.
Why?
Because as an adult, I understand the value and scarcity of time. I know what it’s like to schedule plans with someone only to have those plans derail at the last minute because priorities change. I know what it’s like to drift apart from a friend while watching their life unfold before my eyes on social media. I know what it’s like to measure the distance from my loved ones in 6 foot increments and the number of days since I held them in my arms.
“…you can’t strengthen a heart string alone.
You need to spend time with the person it’s tied to
and work on it together.”
– Strong Strings
There is no substitute for the gift of time and grandparents know that better than anyone. My Grams valued “quality time” above all else and she was a master at living in the moment with friends and loved ones. Cut to her granddaughter, now having written a book on the subject, and sitting seven weeks out from becoming a publishing author.
What have I learned?
Choosing Time.
In a nut shell… Losing time is easy, Giving time away is hard, and Choosing how you spend your time is ultimately what defines you.
Despite the stellar example my grandmother set, I’m still guilty of occasionally tossing time aside like a set of old keys. Especially, lately… I could sell tickets to the three ring circus that is my current mental state, but I digress… Time management is a learned skill and one that relies heavily on our personal values and priorities.
Every generation has its own challenges. I’ll never know whether my grandmother would have struggled against the tide of technology that I face today. — Her technology threshold stopped at a desktop computer, DVD/VCR combo, and holiday fiber optic decorations. — But I’m sure she had her own struggles with lost time and mental fogs… I just wasn’t aware of them when we were together because she was giving her time to me, and our relationship grew stronger because of it.
I hope Strong Strings teaches readers how to give the gift of time.
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