What Time Is It?

Today is my father’s 79th birthday. When I think of all the things I want to do, and realize the limitations that are starting to be put on Dad with age, I want to hurry out there and do everything! Because it is impossible to do everything, the smart thing to do is to sort out what is most important to me.

Time is a truly irreplaceable resource. Once spent, it is gone forever. It’s time for me to be sure that I am choosing the best time “investment” every day.

Today also makes me think of how different things are for me than they were for him. It makes me aware of all of the freedoms and conveniences I have that he did not at the same milestones in our lives. I wonder what things Dad would have done differently over the years if the same options were available to him that are available to me.

There are definitely opportunities that he has taken advantage of that I will never see. For me, the most obvious difference is that the here and now is so much noisier than 25 years ago. How does one have time to think? I know Dad used some of that quiet time to enjoy the things that were important to him. Spending time with my sister and I, learning new things, enjoying himself, exploring.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to experience the best of both times. I know, that’s greedy, but it’s how I’m put together. It’s time to start traveling, and not vacationing. It is time to experience and grow. It’s time to take advantage of the fact that we exist in a global community. The opportunities for genuine experiences today are far greater than they have ever been. In the comparative blink of an eye, I can be anywhere in the world. By staying in the moment, this noisy old world will get quieter and I will have a chance to honestly think. When I think, I can expand my universe. I want to fill my universe with new experiences, different cultures and memories that I can replay and relive. I want to touch people and ultimately, be more than I am right now. I think it’s time to go someplace new.