Perspective

We all have “Aha” moments where someone makes a seemingly insignificant comment that reaches out and slaps us across the face in a “I needed that” fashion. Dear Dad had his computer taken out by a lightning strike and in a true catch-22 found he couldn’t order a new computer without getting online or even look up the 800 number he needed to do it the old fashioned way. So he called me to get him connected again. Once we got past the basics of what he needed and over the shocking news that this would force him to learn a new operating system (Windows 7), we talked a little business.  Farming stuff mostly – planning, taxes, improvements to avoid the same. He’s been doing some negotiating and the other party was pushing the financial gain angle. Dad’s response caught me off-guard: his basic counter was “my life expectancy at this stage of the game is only about another 13 years – I don’t need the money.”

13 years. Maybe more, maybe less. I live too far away and only get up there around the holidays. That’s once a year for maybe a week – in a good year I’ll squeeze in a second visit. Given current conditions, that only gives me 26 visits at best. I’m not willing to accept that – something’s got to give. I turn 48 at the end of this month and I’m feeling it more often than I used to in surprising ways.  A weekend of muscling boats around left me feeling slightly crippled – such activity used to be routinely shrugged off without a second thought. My morning 1.5 mile walk now starts out slow sometimes and reminds me of a drug commercial that preaches “A body in motion tends to stay in motion.” I sure hope so because I don’t intend to stop any time soon.

I used to think I understood the saying “Time is money” but I had it all wrong. Time is not something you exchange for an hourly wage, time is the currency of life. Spend it wisely and, more importantly, don’t waste it.