On Time and Aging

"Today, see if you can stretch your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also those who need it so much." ~Daphne Rose Kingma

Life these days is all about staying young. I chuckled to myself one night in the shower when I saw the Dove body wash with "age-defying nutrients." But you see that sort of thing everywhere now-a-days.

I don't know about you, but I don't feel like I'm getting "old."

At some point in time, I feel like I've stopped growing older -- that my new birthday number each year is only that: a number.

I laugh at myself when I look in the mirror and see the newly sprung gray hairs that remind me otherwise. Or when I realize that I'm the last of the sisters to be in her 30s....and that's past mid-way. Or when I watch a movie from the late '80s/early '90s and say, "That wasn't that long ago..." I guess nearly 20 years out of high school isn't really "Spring-chicken-ish."

My kids are getting "bigger" -- not me, right?

Time is a funny thing. When you're young it seems to drag on endlessly -- through a schoolday, through a hot summer day, through a birthday when you have to wait to open gifts after dinner. Then somewhere along the way -- maybe in college when you realize you have a 15-page term paper due the next day -- time takes off like a Formula-1 racecar....and it never slows down again.

I keep waiting, hoping, especially when I look at how quickly my children are growing.

I guess that makes me realize how precious time actually is.

We all have an alloted amount of time. No one is guaranteed a full life of 90+ years. So how I choose to spend my time now has an enormous amount of importance...on the here and now. What if by missing a ballet recital or lacrosse game or trip to the museum or play a game, I lose the last chance to watch that person perform? Or I miss an opportunity to spend time like that with that person?

My husband and I are just about to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary tomorrow. As we enjoy the day together, we'll probably reflect on how many memories -- good and bad -- we've made together over the years. We've had so many "warm-and-fuzzy" times together that it always gives us a special glow.

What's significant about our memories is the fact that we've shared TIME together. (We're trying to do the same with our children.) Has it been easy? No way. Has it been worth it? You bet!

With so many other things vying for it, time has become an expensive commodity these days.

I'm thinking we should probably spend it wisely.