209 – Time v5

I dedicate this essay to my readers because these are your words from the previous beach walks about time. All I did was edit and attempt to give them a common voice. Thank you for sharing your insights! 

Click the video above for several minutes of background waves while reading.

Time is relative. We decide its importance depending on our experiences at the moment. Time can feel long, but when we look back, we realize time is just a blip. 

Some say time is the past, present, and future, but does the present exist? As soon as we acknowledge a moment, it’s already past. The present is a mere flash quickly vanishing into the past. It’s a bit odd to think of it that way – but once that’s in my head, I can only see it that way – so it’s difficult to see it any other way. Maybe this is why some say time is philosophical. 

Others say time doesn’t exist because we made up time. On the other hand, we only made up methods of tracking time but not time itself. Calendars, watches, and clocks – but at least sundials track nature. Is time real?

Photo by Fritz Jaspers on Pexels.com

Nature doesn’t have a clock as we know it, but birds seem to know when it’s time to migrate. Trees know when it’s time to lose their leaves. Fish know when to migrate and spawn. Even those crazy cicadas know when to emerge from the ground after 17 years of development. 

Not knowing the time delivers a sense of freedom – not wearing a watch while on vacation – not wearing a watch during retirement – not wearing a watch when time doesn’t matter. Our pets sense when we return home or if we missed their mealtime – and they let us know without using a time device. 

Dreams can take us to a different time and place – a time in the future – a time in the past – a time in an alternate reality – a fantasy as if the dream turned time inside and out.

Is time a trap? I sometimes feel that way – a feeling of being trapped in a bubble – a feeling of free fall – but I think time will eventually answer my question because we know time will tell.

Is my time actually time? If time is mine, why do I waste it? If I have time, why do I have minimal energy to use it? But, I’m grateful for the time I have on this earth and hope I use it wisely – but realize I don’t necessarily succeed.

Photo by Ali Naderi on Pexels.com

Time meant nothing during lockdown; only the changing seasons and day/night mattered. Now that life is back to normal, we should use time, not save it. I often remind myself that I get the same 24 hours as Mother Theresa, Madame Curie, or George Washington – so how I use time is up to me.

Some say they wish the day was longer to have more time to do what must be done. Others say a longer day would put us further behind because we wouldn’t wisely use the extra time.

Ever notice how retailers warn us that time is running out? Or how some religious people revel in the idea that we’re nearing the end of times? Maybe that’s why I love bourbon because the makers insist I take my sweet time with their product. 

Relating time to one’s life can be a sobering thought – especially considering knowing my life is much closer to the end than the beginning. So yes – cherish time and use it wisely – and yes, those are two things many people have trouble with.

I think about time a lot, maybe because the sands of my hourglass are getting thin. After all, time touches us all in different ways as we age. Time seems to gallop nowadays, but I remember when I was young and it stretched endlessly. Yet, time is consistent – the same then and now.

Photo by Denis Poltoradnev on Pexels.com

Time is a measurement of life and many things within life. I’m now retired, so I don’t have to be as aware of time as I did during my working life. The fact I’m also on the far side of life, I think about time more. I would like to think I haven’t wasted the time I was given in this life, but I know better. It’s difficult to remember that in the grand scheme of life, time is a gift.

Age has taught me that I cannot slow down or speed up time, but I can control how I use it. I want as much as possible from my remaining time. Whether it means staying busy or quietly watching a tree lose its leaves, all I can do is do the best I can control what I can control. Maybe the people having a 90-year-old parent may make it easier to imagine a long life, but I’m keenly aware that none of us know when it’s our last day. I do try to be grateful for each one! 

Time is about a person’s time – the last second, a given hour, any day now, until next time, on the dot, a long time coming, and working against the clock – but only time will tell because one’s life here is a question of time.

Photo by Dimitry Anikin on Pexels.com

“What, exactly, will time tell? Will it tell me that my days are numbered? Personally, I’d like to think that my days are worded because my days are stories, one-by-one as a child, then a dozen, then hundreds as the years roll on.” (Pam Wight @ The Hourglass of Our Life | roughwighting)

The subject of time offers seemingly endless opportunities to ponder. Although this is the fifth essay on the subject, I have at least one more. It will be unique but published at an unknown time. After all, I like to walk on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

I’m linking to Jo’s Monday Walk featuring a collection of intriguing photos. Tell her I sent you.

See what other bloggers have posted about Time

• The Hourglass of Our Life (a short story by a visitor here)
• Riding the Time Wave (a poem)
• Time (a photo essay with text by a visitor here)
• Grains of Sand (a poem)
• Competition for My Time (a personal essay)
• A Wrinkle in Time (a poem by a frequent visitor here)

Next Post: Lines – Thursday 21st December @ 1 AM (Eastern US)