Time is All I Have, But It’s Running Out
As we regain the hour we lost in Spring, does it really matter now that I’m retired and seem to have all the time in the world? Conversely, does that extra hour extend my limited remaining time in this existence?
Am I Sleeping Away Time?
Falling back to Daylight Standard Time always meant more blissful sleep! I love to sleep in – always have, always will. I’ve missed many gorgeous sunrises and breakfasts. But I prefer to stretch out my mornings in bed trying to catch another dream or lounging in pajamas and slippers enjoying homebrewed coffee or a handmade cappuccino (thanks to my talented barista husband). I’m more of “brunch” individual happily beginning my daily food consumption somewhere between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
However, am I deceiving myself into thinking I’ve captured an extra 60 minutes, while in reality I’m letting it slip away in slumber? Am I just wasting my time?
As a retiree and empty nester, I’m no longer working on someone else’s time; rather I prefer to believe I’m finally and deservedly on my own time. The bed doesn’t care what time it’s made, so why should I. I’ve earned that right. Yet I still watch the clock and feel guilty. I look at the empty slots of time on my calendar in despair instead of considering them joyful opportunities for adventure and spontaneity.
Buying More Time
For me, sleeping in represents a luxury I’ve coveted since my youth. I knew then that the concept of “time” was a valuable commodity that only the rich and famous could afford. Taking the words of Ben Franklin to heart, “Time is money,” became my creed. I rationalized that the more money I accumulated, the more time I had to myself.
My life goal was to earn enough money that would “buy” me the most leisure time. To do what with, I didn’t think through. But I wanted to get their fast and still young enough to enjoy it. I wanted to live out my life with more free time than the time spent to earn it. It was a tipping of the scale that most everyone wanted to pull off, yet few achieved.
In her eloquent blog post, theological writer Judy Larsen Allen poses a compelling dichotomy between the currency of time and wealth. In a compelling twist of Ben’s aphorism: “Ben had it backwards. If time = money, then if follows that money = time. Money is extremely useful, no question, but to quote another aphorism, you can’t take it with you.” Allen intriguingly suggests that “Money can be earned, invested and replaced, but time is a resource that can never be recovered. When our heads hit the pillow at night, that day is done, never to be repeated.”
And in life’s final stage of retirement, our days of earning time are numbered! Allen concludes the bottom line is that time is more valuable than money!
Living Life Without a Watch
I imagined I would spend my extra hours traveling, lying carefree on beaches, reading shelves of books, hanging out for hours with friends and family or simply doing nothing. I had all the time in the world to achieve this goal, but I wanted to reach it while I was still young enough to enjoy it. I wanted to live my life outside the confines of a daily orbit around the sun. Such a dilemma and contradiction.
Time flew by while I was chasing my time-centric goal through a career, matrimony, childrearing and grandparenting. Now that I’ve entered my “senior” years, I’ve put my career to bed, relaxed into a 40-year-marriage and released my kids into the world of adulting. I look back wondering where all that time went and how I was able to accomplish so much given only so many hours in the day.
I may never solve this puzzle, but I’m acutely aware that time is more than a social construct or a means to an end. Time is not material, and it’s up to each of us to quantify. It’s a precious gift no matter what stage of life you’re in.
Thanks for spending some time with me!
Judi
I'll Say It For You 