Don't Let Time Become Your Enemy

I always figured I had enough time. I didn't have to reveal my feelings to him until I was good and ready to do so. Then one day when I called him about hanging out, he tells me that he's joining the Navy. Time had become my enemy and now I don't know if what I have will sound sincere to him or not. I did the most inhuman thing to do, I tried to play for time and I got burnt.

This speaks to a larger problem in our society today though. We have a sense, mainly because of hectic lifestyles and whatnot, that we have plenty of time mainly because we don't have any time. We're so worried about our personal allotment of time and the fact that it may run out for our materialistic endeavors that we forget, or assume it doesn't matter, to give our time to the people who our most important in our lives. Then when the time comes when some of those people are getting ready to leave us, we start complaining we didn't have enough time to tell them how we felt, but fail to realize it wasn't the fact that we didn't have enough time, but the fact that we were selfish with what time we did have.

There are many things we can do to help remedy the situation, because even though we deserve our own amount of time in this world, those we love and care about deserves some of our time as well. Here are some steps to give time to the people you care about:

(1) Make A Phone Call: It's the easiest thing to do to show somebody that you care and that they're worth your time, but hardly anybody commits to a telephone call anymore. Some people would rather shoot off a quick e-mail or, and God help us that we've come to this, a pathetic and rambling message on MySpace.com. A phone call doesn't have to take up much of your time, but should be at least be 10 minutes long. This shows the person that you're thinking about them and that you're willing to commit some of your time to them. A phone call should be used first to see how the person is doing and then some chit-chat, followed by a time for your two to meet.

(2) Meet with the person one-on-one: Whether it be between friends and/or lovers, a one-on-one meeting is more intimate and personal. It should be at least three hours long and be about what you two like to do together. Most of the time should be spent talking and having fun. Feelings should be expressed fully and coherently.

(3) Writer a letter: This doesn't mean write an e-mail. If you're close enough with the person, then you should know their address. Sit your but down, put pen to paper and begin writing a letter. It takes time and is in your own handwriting.

(4) Invite them over for special occasions: Just because they're not blood-related doesn't mean they're not family. You should invite these people that you care about over for Thanksgiving or any other type of holiday. Don't get mad if they don't accept, just tell them that you wanted to make the offer. They'll appreciate it, even if they don't accept it.

There are a million other things one can do to be unselfish with time. We live in a world were friendship and/or love is becoming increasingly needed and we should do whatever it takes to maintain the relationships in our lives. We should never use time as an excuse to run out of time. Say what you feel when you feel it.