Time is a notion that we’re familiar with. It is perhaps also something we have limited ammounts of, waste all-too-readily, value insufficiently, and ultimately, disrespect. All of this has real bearing on health & wellness so let us consider time for, well, a time…
Finite. At least at a human level. Each of us only has one lifetime. Be it 5 months, five decades or 5 generations’ worth, our lives are finite. They end. Think about it. See it. Accept it.
Easy to waste. Hours and days and weeks and months of television. Being with limited or stupid or negative or poisonous people. Working too much. Working too little. Being seen rather than seeing and experiencing. Telling and living lies. Never stopping to think. Not listening to others properly. Doing things because of what other people think. Battling to operate the device because we stubbornly refuse to read the instructions (and save time). There is an endless list of ways in which we waste time. It’s so easy to do.
A precious gift. Among the most meaningful moments in life are the shared ones. Sometimes it is about a special occasion (wedding, birthday, celebration) or something more every-day (cup of tea with your neighbour, catch up call with your mother). Time is a gift we can receive (and treasure) from others. And it is a gift we can give to others.
Adequate. Or, if you prefer, “all you will ever get”. Everyone complains about never having enough time. But we all have 24 hours a day and we all have 365 days a year and we all live about the same number of years. Some of us seem to build hugely productive and balanced and satisfying and happy lives. And some of us do not. This might be luck, or talent, or timing, or money. It may be all of those things, and more besides. But we lack control over most of that. What we can control, is our approach to the idea of time. Let us acknowledge that we have this gift and let us appreciate it. Let us be grateful for our time alive rather than moaning about how little we got. Let us consider a lifetime to be adequate and get on with living it the best way we can…
So here are a few slightly philosophical thoughts on the idea of time and how it relates to us and our quest for health and wellness. We wish you well.
Written by Dr Colin Burns
