“The one thing I know is that we are all dying every second of our life, inching our way toward the end, hopefully, but dying nonetheless, so we better use our time well while we’re here, because this is it, this is the only time we’ve got.” Jamie Attenburg
There comes a point in our lives when time becomes a very precious gift. Our closets are already crowded with clothes and shoes that we may not even wear, our houses are full of dust-catching trinkets, and we definitely don’t need any more jewelry or purses. In my case, jewelry is my weakness, especially earrings. But as my husband likes to remind me, I only have two ears. I don’t need 100 pairs of earrings. But what a temptation they are. However, I would give them up in a heartbeat if I could exchange them for time.
Every time I complete another trip around the sun, time becomes more valuable. This is the reason why I decided to start my retirement process, five years earlier than what social security considers my full retirement age. I’m realizing that time is a luxury, and with every day that passes, the value of time increases.
I need time to celebrate and enjoy every aspect of my life. When we are rushing through life, we take for granted the little things. Being able to go to lunch with a friend on a Monday, dedicating a Wednesday morning to go for a walk on the beach, going to the movies on a Friday afternoon, or just simply setting aside a full Tuesday to go to the spa. All those little things that there’s no time for when we have to sit behind a computer 8 to 12 hours a day.
I need time to travel. I have been able to travel a lot in spite of the limited time. Yes, it’s been a balancing act, but by the same token, without work, there would have been no money for travel. But now, I’m hoping to have the time to travel even more, without the constraint of not being able to do it the first four months of the year.
I need time to spend with my family. This one is even more important to me than the previous two, but by the same token, it must be combined with number two. My kids all moved out of state, therefore, spending time with them requires traveling.
And last but not least, I need time for God. As I was cleaning out my office, I found a box of articles from when I used to write for “La Voz Católica” (The Catholic Voice). It made me realize that when my kids were little, and I had a lot less free time than I do now, I used to spend a lot more time serving others. Not only did I write for the archdiocese newspaper, I would volunteer to help out at my kids’ school, I would serve at Emmaus, and as a couple, my hubby and I would serve in Camino (marriage retreats) and help our parish with FOCUS (meeting with couples that were about to get married). Somehow, through the years, I have become complacent. Yes, I go to church and Bible classes. I have a blog, and write occasionally. But now that I’m retiring from full time work, I can definitely do more. I just have to pray and discern so I can figure out where God wants me to serve.
Time is a gift that can’t be recovered. I don’t want my life to be measured by how many hours I worked. I want it to be measured by how much time I spent doing the things I enjoy with the people I love. And I want to make sure that if I make it to heaven, God will be waiting to tell me: “You served me well, welcome to your new heavenly home you faithful servant.”
Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
