In the American culture, time is a commodity. Hence the expression "time is money." But this isn't the case with all cultures. I know this. I teach this. And yet, I have never taken the time (no pun intended) to examine what that looks like in my life.
I'll be the first to admit that I stress over time. There never seems to be enough of it. Right? Well, maybe... not.
It seems as though I have too many things I am trying to cram into my days. Cooking, cleaning, children, working, and on and on and on.
I took the littles for a morning excursion today. We were all needing a little time away from the house. As LJ and I enjoyed breakfast and Madi played with the other rug rats, I couldn't help but over hear two moms sitting close by. They were openly discussing the same dilemma. As they shared their struggles, the one thing that really stood out to me was how one of the women expressed how her husband's requests for time with her were, well, not welcomed. She had other more important things to do than to spend time meeting his needs.
And my heart broke for her.
But the truth is, we all, at some point, make the same mistake. Maybe not with our spouses, but with other important people and/or things in our lives.
So if time is not a commodity, then what matters? What about cultures where time isn't money? What matters are your relationships with other people. It means taking the time to do something for someone or with someone regardless of the cost it has on your time clock.
I don't know that I could recklessly abandon my clock. I do value punctuality and I respect my requests (demands) on other people's schedules. But I want to grow and realize that the is more to life than getting things done, checking things off my list, and worrying about having enough time. I do know that I want to focus more on relationships with people I love. I do know that when the end f my time on earth draws near, I am not going to be concerned with how much laundry I have done, rather how many people I have loved.
What does time mean to you? Does it need to change and if so, what do you want it to look like?
