“Like sand through the hour-glass, so are the days of our lives.” These words have begun the soap opera, Days of our Lives for almost fifty years. It is also one of your mother’s favorite shows and I have heard those words coming from our television on an almost daily basis. As I near my anticipated retirement age, I have also come to realize just how meaningful those words actually are. They are far more significant than any script or scenario that can be created on the screen or repeated by any announcer. They describe life itself.
I remember John Lennon declaring that “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Unfortunately, that statement came true for him far too soon on the steps of his apartment in December of 1980. His untimely death illustrates how quickly life can end; even while it seems to be just beginning. Lennon’s career was in full bloom and there is no doubt that he would have contributed countless additional songs and albums to the vast library he had already created during his forty years on this earth. It is also highly likely that he did not imagine he would breathe his last on that December day. It is also probable that he had already made plans for the coming new year. Sadly, they would never come to be.
The days of our lives pass us by in a similar fashion. One day we are struggling to meet deadlines, attending meetings, making presentations and then we receive a call that brings all of that activity to a screeching halt. That call can tell us about a sickness, a death or an accident; but it also forces us to pause and prioritize our daily lives; often making us realize how really unimportant many of our daily task really are. Those life-altering calls come at some time to all of us at some point in our lives and I can guarantee that you will utter the statement that the call and event that made that call necessary, “Will make you re-evaluate your priorities.” You will also most likely say that now you” Know what is really important and that now you have your priorities “straight.” Then, when the event is over and you are back at work, you will slowly return to your past schedule, ignoring those vows you made just a short time ago. That is usually how it plays out and I have done exactly that myself many times during my career.
Life should not be that way and it does not have to be. Our life is passing us by, day by day, week by week; until one day we discover that the hour-glass is nearly empty and no one is putting anymore sand into it any time soon. Those grains of sand, those days of our lives, pass us by, whether we want them to or not. Grain by grain, they fall to the bottom of the hourglass, piling up and reminding us that their supply is not limitless. We need to live each day of our lives to the fullest, treasuring everything that happens in those 24 hours and remembering to spend time every day with those we love and those who love us.
Don’t put off that vacation that you have scheduled because of a work deadline. You will discover that every one of us can be replaced and we will, at some point in our careers. You can never get back that time with a sick loved one or friend. You may never have the chance to take that dream trip with your friends. Youth is fleeting, time is always moving forward; with or without us. You need to be absolutely certain that what you are doing is what really needs to be done and never allow your priorities to get out-of-order.
I remember my mother saying, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” I have been told that it was an old German saying and I laughed at it a lot in my youth. As I grew older, I realized how insightful that comment was. No matter how hard you work, there will always be more work for you to do. That old I Love Lucy clip, where Lucy and Ethel are working in the candy factory and the conveyor belt keeps increasing in speed until Lucy is forced to eat candy in order to keep up; comes to mind as a perfect example of how not to live your life. No matter how fast you try to move, life will simply move faster. The conveyor belt will only increase in speed and you cannot eat all of the candy.
Remember that life was meant to be lived, not merely spent. Determine what is most important and then prioritize your days according to those priorities. Allow plenty of “me time” and schedule that time into your day. Work on only those things that truly make a difference and be certain to always tell those you love, “I love you.” Although they may say “I know.” it is always better to say it. No one knows how big their individual hour-glass happens to be. Some hour-glasses even have cracks that are invisible to the naked eye. Live your life, truly live it. Savor each moment and be certain to hold on to what is most important. The hourglass may contain the days of our lives, but it is how we actually live those days that really matters. Make yours what you want it to be and choose wisely, each and every day of your life.