***Time

Time...we refer to it all of the "time." For instance, in games, we call for a "time out." At work, we refer to "time for a break" or "break time." At school, we look forward to "recess time." Summer is a "time for vacation." We sometimes refer to recreational time as "party time." In the Bible, there is a reference to "time for all seasons." In fact, the full text goes like this:

"There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mou
and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Albert Einstein held that time was an "illusion." "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen all at once."

For children, time seems to drag, especially when they are looking forward to something. Ask a three-year-old, how old she is, and she may hold up three fingers, but she will tell you that she is "three and a half." The same goes for a 15-year-old who "can't wait" to be old enough to drive; the 17-year-old who can't wait to be old enough to vote; and the 20-year-old who can't wait to be old enough to drink legally.

As we get older, however, time seems to speed up. First the years seem to slip up on us and then the months seem to be speeding up as well. As I write this, I am wondering where January through May went. It's June already! Where does the time go?

Yet, we all have the same amount of time. None of us gets an extra hour for good--or bad--behavior. A minute is a minute for all of us. A day is the same 24-hours for each and every one of us. The difference is in how we spend our time. We speak of "quality time" as well as of "time wasted."

Time has been on my mind a lot lately because I am particularly mindful of time speeding by these days. I find that the more I enjoy what I am doing, the faster the time seems to go by.

I am also mindful of the fact that there is a need to balance the time I spend on work with the time I spend on family responsibilities and relationships.

How do you use your time? Are you working at creating the balance that you need in order to meet your work obligations AND have a fulfilling personal life? If not, what adjustments do you need to make?

And as for a final thought about time, remember, "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." ~ Michael Altshuler