The Preciousness of Time

One of the things that most impressed me about Ms. Strobel's book was her point that life is short and time is the most valuable resource we have.  We all hear such sentiments, but most of the time we merely pay lip service to them.  We're so busy running around in the busyness of our lives and checking off things on our never-ending to-do lists.

However, now that I'm firmly entrenched in my 40s, and my kids are nearing the threshold of their teen years, the reality of the preciousness of time has become clearer to me.  I can't put off spending time with my kids reading or teaching them important life skills.  That report for work frankly won't mean squat in 10 years.  But it would be a real travesty if I didn't make time to listen and be fully present when my kids asked, "You know what, Mom?"

And there are other things I still want to do with my life.  Things I'd like to do or at least try, and places I'd like to see.  I can't put those things off indefinitely.  Who knows how long I'll be on this planet.  There is a local community newspaper that I like to read.  Among other things, it has obituaries of residents who have died.  Most are in their 60s, 70s or 80s.  Occasionally there is one for a child or young adult, but fortunately those are pretty rare.  However, it is not as rare to see an obituary for someone my age or not far off.  None of us are guaranteed even another day of life.  We can't procrastinate with the big things of life.

I feel a little dense that it has taken until my 40s to really begin to get this.  I glean that Ms. Strobel is much younger than me.  And she had her critical epiphanies in her 20s.  Jeesh, I was just ramping up the busyness of my life in those years! 

But ultimately, it is not a competition.  And I am so grateful for the life experiences I've had up until this point.  They have taught me much.  Moreover, I am so incredibly excited about this next phase of my life.