A Woman’s View: Time

Of all the things in life we waste and take for granted, time is probably the most precious of gifts we squander.  Time is priceless, ever moving, never ending and the healer of almost all things.

Horror of horrors it is that we spend most of our life wishing away precious time/moments waiting for that one point we think will make us happy.  How many times have you sat at work or in class thinking “I wish time would move and just get me out of here.  Has the clock stopped?”

In effort to keep from having this column sound too philosophical, I will try not to preach about how each moment is great and you should love yourself and your time spent.  Rather, I will encourage you to do the things you enjoy and look forward to now instead of later.

Too many times we bury ourselves in thankless jobs that we despise in a forever quest of the almighty dollar.  When we do this we are selling our time and our life for whatever amount of money.  In the end you have to ask yourself: is it really worth it?  Time is something that we can never get back once it has passed, and while that may be great for some situations, in others it can be heartbreaking.

So many times people — especially women — work very hard dreaming of retirement so that they can finally live their lives and enjoy their time.  However, at retirement our bodies and our dreams might not be attainable any longer because of years of work, stress, age and health issues.  Our youth seems to be wasted with strain and pressures that usually make our bodies suffer from over exhaustion in the twilight years that lay ahead.

Money does play a big role in our present and our future, which may dictate how we spend our time and how much of it we waste.  Living beyond our means for personal satisfaction and self gain can easily waste our life away because we force ourselves to be pressured and work harder for the material things we desire.

Living the simple life may seem antiquated or unintelligent, but there is something to be said for those who are content with what they have.  Selling your dreams and goals for small desires such as a new cell phone, iPod, video game or new car take precedent to becoming a part-time musician or painter.  Think back to when you were little and what you always dreamed you would be.  Did you ever think “I will work in an office for 8 hours or more each day being bogged down so that I can’t even have time to smile at a sunset, but rather I laugh at those that do?”

When we were kids we would dream not in terms of money but in terms of desire; “I want to be a singer, artist, dancer, sports player.” But somewhere along the way the little joys that made us so happy become the little extras that cause us more stress.  With such a fast-paced society always focusing on more and better, we lose sight of what matters.  Too many times we make room in our lives for the things we hate doing but have to do, and as a result, are too tired to even consider doing the things we love because we “have no time.”

“It is so true.  I sit all day wishing away my time at work at a job I hate, and when I get home I am too tired to do anything I want,” Maria from Lawncrest told NEast Philly.  “I spend my life working thanklessly and it is horrible.  I finally noticed it was a problem last week when I came home, and all day I wanted to just go to the park with my [4-year-old] daughter.  She came running up and I got mad and told her no because I was tired from doing the stuff I hate all day long but have to do. Talk about an eye opener!  I finally started taking time for the little things and stopped rushing.”

Realizing that we must work and that many times our dreams must be put on hold or are unattainable makes all the reason more to stop and enjoy the little things in our lives.  Stop and realize that time is precious and you shouldn’t wish your youth away, your age away or any of your life.

Living in a city, we lose sight of how fast time actually moves because we are always rushing around with the have-to-do list, that the want-to-do list or personal time gets pushed aside.  Welcome to Spring – the snow is gone and the sun is shining warm.  Literally stop and smell the roses once or twice.  If you are one of the people who think you don’t have time or that it is silly, you might be part of the crowd who’s losing life to stress, pressure, strain and time.

Why fill your whole day with things you hate?  Try to make room for the things you love no matter how small or silly they might seem.  Time passes too quickly as we get older, and time truly waits for nobody.

A Woman’s View is a column about women’s issues written by Donna Ward. The column appears every other Thursday on NEastPhilly.com. See others here. Read other NEastPhilly columns here.

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