Reflecting On Time

After the birth of my son, my view of time was transformed. My son was born a healthy, happy baby, or so we thought at the time. We learned that he was born with a very rare genetic disorder called Hutchinson-Guilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), often referred to as “Progeria”, for advanced geriatrics.

Children with this condition are known as the kids who age more quickly. For the very few children on this planet who have Progeria, it is a time robber! With much shorter life spans, the meaning of time for my son is much different.

So, what is time?

Scientists tell us that a second is equal to 9 billion oscillations of the Cesium 133 atom. But, I’m not really interested in the science of time. I am much more interested in the gift that is time. Time is a gift from God, and I think God put us here to make the most of our time.

Now, tell me, what is time to you? Or rather, how do you perceive time? Do you think of time as a measurement? Or do you think of time more emotionally, such as a special moment in time, a fond childhood memory, or the fun times you will have on your next vacation?

Jonathan Larson, of Rent fame, asks in a song,

How do you measure, measure a year? / In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee / In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife / In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes / How do you measure a year in the life?

If time were money and every minute was a dollar, would you waste that time? And remember, you cannot save this money, just as you cannot save time. In the end, time is about quality, not quantity. Direction, not speed. Production, not destruction.

No one knows how much time they have, and time is different for my son. This is not about pity or time spent feeling sorry for oneself, but rather the wish to inspire a reassessment of how we think about time.

As an airline pilot, I am in the time saving business:

“Ladies and gentleman, today’s en route time will be 2 hours and 46 minutes, we will push-back on time, we will find the timeliest route, and we will have an on-time arrival into our destination.”

When at work, my job is to adherence to the clock. But at home, as you can imagine, my job is much different. At home, it’s not about adhering to a schedule, but about fun, smiles, laughter and relationships. We all tend to spend too much time at work and not enough time at play. So, when at home, make the most of your play time.

Time is a great teacher. It teaches us the value of life and how making better use of our time will give us a fuller life!

Teddy Roosevelt said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing to do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” So, make a choice about your time. Life is, and can be a great little journey with whatever time we have.

What you do or don’t do with your time is up to you. The list is endless of the ways to better spend your time, and the list is equally endless in the ways to stop wasting your time. Use your imagination and start now!

Ben Franklin said, “You may delay, but time will not.”

I cannot make more time for my son, but I can make sure that the time with my family and son, is time well spent. After all, God has graced us with today, but tomorrow is promised to no one.