Time: Friend or Foe

Why is time so troublesome? We learn the concept early. We understand that there are twenty-four hours in our day, seven days in our week, and fifty-two weeks in our year and so on. Over the years we learn to plan, schedule, organize and manage time. Yet time slips away. Time seems to pass more quickly or more slowly on certain days, at some events, or even during a particular day.

It seems that if we had time to relax or go on vacation that we would use it wisely. Vacation time arrives, we head out for a trip, go camping, or to a vacation destination only to wear ourselves out. We return from our trip weary. The vacation may have been exciting, interesting, or fun but we are worn out. We now need time to recover from the vacation.

For some tasks the more time we know we have the less we accomplish. Yet if we know our time is limited we can squeeze in a lot more.

Youth feel that time passes slowly and they become bored easily. Children do not worry about time much. To a child minutes pass slowly, an hours seems very, very long and a day seems like forever. Do you remember how long it seemed from one Christmas to the next when you were a child?

As we age time seems to pass much more quickly. When you are the parent of a child the years seem to pass as quickly as the months used to. How can birthdays and holidays come around to fast? How can that baby be ready to begin school?

When you become a grandparent time passes even more quickly. Now days pass as if they were minutes and months seem as short as weeks used to. Even years pass so quickly there hardly seems to be time to prepare for birthdays and holidays.

Our time tools are great. What would we do without clocks and calendars? Of course we would have the sun and moon to guide us but the days and months would be even more difficult to track.

I am lost without my watch. I do remember when I was a girl and I first received a watch; it seemed like a piece of jewelry which had a scant bit of use. That watch became more relevant as the year passed and it wasn't long until it was a very useful tool.

With all of the tools to help keep track of time and the understanding of how time works in our daily lives time still causes most of us concern. The beginning quote by William Penn tells us that this battle with time is not new. I'm sure that time has been an adversary for many throughout history.

On the upside, time can and oftentimes does work on our behalf. Time can be our friend. Time allows us to make time for ourselves, others, causes, events, jobs, relaxation and so much more.

Isn't it wonderful that we can take time for vacations? This time is allotted for spending as we wish. Usually vacation time is earned and this well deserved time is ours to enjoy.

Many clocks have snooze buttons so that we can feel like we have a few extra minutes of time at our control before beginning our day.

This same time that causes problems and limits our activities can also bring us joy and relaxation.

Was William Penn right? Is time what we want most yet use worst? My answer to that would depend on the particular day I am asked. How about you?