Taking Time
Time
Ellie “If I could save time in a bottle. . . “ I am sure you have sung along to the words of Jim Croce’s classic tune. If you are like me, you have even pondered what treasures you would store in that bottle. What would be the memories that would flow out, once you pulled the stopper?
There are many resources we have available to us that are distributed in differing amounts. Think about wealth, talents, abilities, and energy. The leveling force is time. All of us are given the exact same amount of time – 24 hours in a day.
I am sure at some point, you have received an e-mail with the poem about the Gift of Time. . .
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who has failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a
premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer who has kids to
feed.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who has missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who has avoided an
accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who has won a
silver medal in the Olympics.
My husband and I needed to go to a meeting, so had lined up some relief milkers for the morning of the meeting. It was 2 and ½ hours to the meeting site, probably 3 hours for the lunch/meeting, and another 2 and ½ hours home. At the last minute, our relief milkers had another commitment, so my husband and I ended up putting in a loooooong day! We got up, did the chores (normally they take us about 3 hours), drove to the meeting, and all the time commitments there, and then another 3 hours doing evening chores! We were on the road by 9 AM! I found out later that our relief milkers did not get on the road until 10AM! It wasn’t that they could not help with the milking, it was that they chose not to help with the milking! We ALL have the same amount of time given to us –24 hours each and every day. How are you choosing to spend yours?
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you
shared it with someone special, special enough to have your time . . .
And remember time waits for no one . . .
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!
The Crones Corner
Mary
I thought perhaps I would address the current Heart to Heart, Woman Talk theme “Taking Time” from a crone’s point of view. I decided to take a look at each word individually. “Taking,” for instance made me think of reaching out for something, grabbing, owning, in some ways, I started to feel a little guilty about the act of taking. I decided that maybe I didn’t have as clear an understanding of the meaning of the word as I thought. Webster has been a long time friend of mine and so I “took” Webster off of the shelf to “take” a look. Did you know that there are 61 definitions of the word take?
Here are just a few: to get into possession, as by voluntary action. To seize or capture, to hold, grasp, or grip, to choose or select, to receive and accept willingly. Etc. etc. Let’s leave “take” for a bit and move on to “time.”
Well, it was very interesting to find out that “time” had fewer definitions, only 31, however the first one is so profound that we will be forgiving of the numbers. Time defined: The duration of all existence, past, present and future. No wonder I was finding myself in the itchy place of guilt when thinking about taking it! Reading on I found number 10, sufficient or spare time. Now I was getting closer to that, dare I say it again, guilty feeling. As a crone I find myself in a constant dialogue with myself about wanting more spare time, having sufficient time to do all of the things I am involved in and how to spend my croning years in a conscious thoughtful way. Number 11, a particular point in time, made me realize again that this very moment, almost before I could write the word, has passed.
Bringing the words of my search together again, “Taking Time” I notice that the definition I like the best is to seize or capture, to hold, grasp or grip. Of time, I like sufficient or spare, so I have come to believe that if I am willing to seize the time I want or need to realize my goals of conscious eldering, I will not only have sufficient time but spare time as well. I don’t want to waste another bit of “time” because as quickly as I breathe the word it has passed, never to return, there is no duplicating a moment in time.
So what about this guilt? I suspect that it comes from long ingrained messages from my mom, idle hands and all that stuff, and from my aunties, always busy, cooking, baking, stitching, and from a culture moving faster than I can go. I will own that it also comes from some fear that I have spent more time of my life than I have left to live, and I don’t want to miss a moment. “Taking Time” for thinking, reflecting, enjoying, conversing, or reading a really good novel can make me feel like that naughty school girl again who used to lie in the grass and make cloud pictures instead of doing her homework.
Well, sister crones, I vow to “take the time” without fear or guilt and with the hutzpah that only comes with crossing the croning line.
Time
Ellie “If I could save time in a bottle. . . “ I am sure you have sung along to the words of Jim Croce’s classic tune. If you are like me, you have even pondered what treasures you would store in that bottle. What would be the memories that would flow out, once you pulled the stopper?
There are many resources we have available to us that are distributed in differing amounts. Think about wealth, talents, abilities, and energy. The leveling force is time. All of us are given the exact same amount of time – 24 hours in a day.
I am sure at some point, you have received an e-mail with the poem about the Gift of Time. . .
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who has failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a
premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer who has kids to
feed.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who has missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who has avoided an
accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who has won a
silver medal in the Olympics.
My husband and I needed to go to a meeting, so had lined up some relief milkers for the morning of the meeting. It was 2 and ½ hours to the meeting site, probably 3 hours for the lunch/meeting, and another 2 and ½ hours home. At the last minute, our relief milkers had another commitment, so my husband and I ended up putting in a loooooong day! We got up, did the chores (normally they take us about 3 hours), drove to the meeting, and all the time commitments there, and then another 3 hours doing evening chores! We were on the road by 9 AM! I found out later that our relief milkers did not get on the road until 10AM! It wasn’t that they could not help with the milking, it was that they chose not to help with the milking! We ALL have the same amount of time given to us –24 hours each and every day. How are you choosing to spend yours?
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you
shared it with someone special, special enough to have your time . . .
And remember time waits for no one . . .
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!
The Crones Corner
Mary
I thought perhaps I would address the current Heart to Heart, Woman Talk theme “Taking Time” from a crone’s point of view. I decided to take a look at each word individually. “Taking,” for instance made me think of reaching out for something, grabbing, owning, in some ways, I started to feel a little guilty about the act of taking. I decided that maybe I didn’t have as clear an understanding of the meaning of the word as I thought. Webster has been a long time friend of mine and so I “took” Webster off of the shelf to “take” a look. Did you know that there are 61 definitions of the word take?
Here are just a few: to get into possession, as by voluntary action. To seize or capture, to hold, grasp, or grip, to choose or select, to receive and accept willingly. Etc. etc. Let’s leave “take” for a bit and move on to “time.”
Well, it was very interesting to find out that “time” had fewer definitions, only 31, however the first one is so profound that we will be forgiving of the numbers. Time defined: The duration of all existence, past, present and future. No wonder I was finding myself in the itchy place of guilt when thinking about taking it! Reading on I found number 10, sufficient or spare time. Now I was getting closer to that, dare I say it again, guilty feeling. As a crone I find myself in a constant dialogue with myself about wanting more spare time, having sufficient time to do all of the things I am involved in and how to spend my croning years in a conscious thoughtful way. Number 11, a particular point in time, made me realize again that this very moment, almost before I could write the word, has passed.
Bringing the words of my search together again, “Taking Time” I notice that the definition I like the best is to seize or capture, to hold, grasp or grip. Of time, I like sufficient or spare, so I have come to believe that if I am willing to seize the time I want or need to realize my goals of conscious eldering, I will not only have sufficient time but spare time as well. I don’t want to waste another bit of “time” because as quickly as I breathe the word it has passed, never to return, there is no duplicating a moment in time.
So what about this guilt? I suspect that it comes from long ingrained messages from my mom, idle hands and all that stuff, and from my aunties, always busy, cooking, baking, stitching, and from a culture moving faster than I can go. I will own that it also comes from some fear that I have spent more time of my life than I have left to live, and I don’t want to miss a moment. “Taking Time” for thinking, reflecting, enjoying, conversing, or reading a really good novel can make me feel like that naughty school girl again who used to lie in the grass and make cloud pictures instead of doing her homework.
Well, sister crones, I vow to “take the time” without fear or guilt and with the hutzpah that only comes with crossing the croning line.
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