Recently I spoke with a young couple enjoying their new born baby. As I encouraged the young father to help with the baby as a good way to "bond," I realized how much time had passed in my own life.
As the words left my lips, it occurred to me I could only count on two fingers the number of naps I had enjoyed with my 20-month old son. I had allowed the business of life, the demands of my billet, the perceived needs of others and my own lack of paying attention to things at home to keep me away from something I could never get back.
A friend mentioned in passing how time stands as the great equalizer among men.
The rich and poor, the celebrity and the commoner, the general and the private all have no more than 24 hours in a day.
Time stands as a very important resource. It is time we spend when we invest in our education, in our careers and in our relationships, and it is time we spend on holding grudges, vain arguments and fruitless activities.
Time cannot be retrieved, bought back or produced; it simply passes. How valuable it is, depends on what we do with it, and herein lies the irony. Often we view time as only being valuable if we cram as much stuff into it as possible. It's kind of like getting your money's worth at a sub shop and ending up with a sandwich with everything on it that no one wants to eat. We don't see time rocking a baby to sleep as worth much, but maybe time is most precious in those moments.
As I write this, I have my 5-year-old waiting patiently for me to finish, so I can spend some time with her talking about kittens or ponies or something truly important.
Also, I'm thankful to say I increased the number of fingers I use to count naps with our son to six; and although I can't get those missed opportunities back, I can remind myself to pay more attention to the people closest to me and to spend my time wisely.
(Editor's note Bennett if the Fort Leonard Wood Marine Corps Detachment chaplain.)
Related Links:
Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood Facebook
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