Time.

Someone inquired the other day, how do I find time to write these blogs. I pondered for a moment and quoted John Maxwell “Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day.”  We have no more or less time than George Washington or Gandhi. Money can not buy you time nor can you borrow it from anyone. You have to make time Period.

Of course I am not in the same league as these great people, but I try to utilize my time the best way I know. Now suffering from chronic insomnia has its advantages and disadvantages. For the most part I survive with 5 hours of sleep.  Anything less makes me cranky.

Isn’t it funny when some friend calls you after a long time. Usually their excuse for not calling sooner is that have been very busy. But after a while when you ask them what they have been up to; their response usually is “nothing much, same ole’ boring life.”  So much for being busy!

Time is relative. Not as in the theory of relativity, but as how we see time. We have a very sharp perception of time when we are at home or at work, everything in our surrounding reminds us of time passing by. You are subconsciously aware of time as events happen at certain intervals. You know it is 7 AM because this is the time you go to work, few minutes elapses before the coffee  brews, lunch happens at 12 pm, meetings at 3 pm, going back home at a certain time, you exercise for an hour and an hour worth of TV program in the evening etc. etc. However, if you are outside on a beach or in the wilderness our perception is very poor. With no distractions or constant reminders times passes at an exceptionally slow rate. There are no milestones to remind us of the passage of time, maybe just the sun going up and down.  

The same thing happens when you are healthy and have no ailments. We experience no reminders of sands of time as long as we are healthy. No back pain after waking up, no prostate problems and no heart attacks. But with age nature starts to call on you with subtle reminders. You start experiencing more headaches, ankle pain, menopause and the list goes on.

Again these are subtle reminders, on the other hand people who suffer from terminal illnesses do not have reminders; they have alerts at the last moment. I have known patients who have asked me this question, do they have another month to live. Just imagine that a person has made peace with themselves that they will not see November 1^st, but they want to live till October 15^th. They can cram their whole life in one month. You can learn the value of time from them. They do not want to waste any time as they are acutely aware of the time wasting them.

Well I had a day off today so I had a lot to think about. I spent a whole afternoon at the library most of the time reading Kissinger by Walter Isaacson;  that was not a waste of time.

About the picture: Allegedly the biggest clock there is, but it was out of order that cloudy day.