The March of Time

Setting the clocks back an hour for Daylight Savings Time reminded me of the nature of time. To our bodies, what felt like 7:00 am was now actually 6:00am. Albert Einstein remarked, "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." We often view time as this huge external factor, mercilessly ticking away the moments and hours of our life. Time becomes an excuse for not living our dreams or passions when we tell ourselves things such as: "I'm too old" or "I'll get to that later, when I have more time." The reality is that all we have is the present and we might as well make the most of it which reminds me of a quote from the movie Kung Fu Panda: "The past is history, the future is a mystery and today is a gift, that's why we call it the present." I took my two children to see Kung Fu Panda last summer to a packed theater on a rainy day and since we were late we had to sit in the front row. My 3 year old son was a little restless by the end of the movie so he started doing his "kung fu" moves at the front of the theater to the delight of the entire audience which erupted in laughter. My little guy was just following his heart which was telling him he couldn't sit any longer and in so doing he gave the audience a gift (I'm not going to philosophize the "gifts" he's shared with everyone at the grocery store when he's feeling a little restless...) So, what did you do today to make the world a better place? How did you spend your precious gift of time and energy today? Sure, you may be older than you once were or you may have many responsibilities now that you hope not to have in the future but I encourage all of you to make this day matter in some way. Maybe you can carry a bag with you when you walk your dog to pick up any trash you find along the way or perhaps you can email a politician to communicate your views on an issue that is important to you. When you act in a way that comes from a place of being grateful to have the opportunity to make the world better (rather than making yourself angry that others have left trash or feeling superior to others because you are taking action), you will be able to best appreciate the joy of giving. You will be giving the gift that truly gives back: sharing your unique talents with the world to make it a better place and the happiness that comes from knowing that you did your part. Let's share in that joy together, today, tomorrow and every day.