Time

It’s April, and that’s no joke. March has past, and February before that. Yes, even January is gone, and no, they aren’t coming back. Part of April is gone too. It just up and left. The time you spent reading that last sentence, though you will cherish the memory, is gone . . . for good. Do you see what I’m saying? This time you just spent thinking about the aforementioned lost time, that’s gone too. Where has it all run off to? Is there anyway stop the hemorrhaging?
I vividly remember, about two and a half years ago, walking home down the sidewalk in Prague with my friend Isreal Cilio. The cobblestone was uneven under our feet, the little corner market was on our left, and our year as a student missionaries directly in front of us. Isreal and I were talking about how fast time went sometimes. Like summer camp. You get there, meet everyone in staff training, than pack up and go home. It’s that fast. Before you know it, its all a memory, often revisited, but never re-lived.
We blinked and picked up the same conversation. Our students had just graduated. We had our farewell dinner last night and were heating up leftovers on the stove. Today was when our apartment was to have its final cleaning. Where had the time gone?
Last Christmas I went to Maine to see my dad. We booked the tickets in October to try and get the best fare possible. Before the tickets were bought, I checked my exam schedule to see exactly when my last exam was, added the time to get to the airport, and purchased the coinciding tickets. October left, November followed suite, and December was getting away from me too. Exams and graduation were upon us when it finally hit me. One of my best friends was graduating. Graduating! And more than me not being here for it, was the fact that “a chapter in our lives was through”. Gone, like Al Pacino’s cash.
Sadly, there are no time surgeons that I know of, at least none around here. So what is to be done with all this time that just doesn’t seem to be on my side anymore? I don’t think stomping my feet will make it come back. Maybe I should raise my voice and let it know who’s boss, but that might prove to be a waste of time as well.
One things for sure, time is something not to be squandered or trifled with. Time suffers no fools. Mr. T was definitely on point. So, since time cannot be harnessed and we don’t want to be fools, we should enjoy it for what it is . . . a gift. Enjoy the moment. Live it up, it’s only here once. Go crazy. Climb something illegal. Skip class and sit in the sun. I don’t know! Whatever makes you come alive, do that. Don’t postpone living any longer. Don’t spend today dreaming about tomorrow or regretting the past, because before you know it, today will soon be gone.