It's About Time
I love time travel movies. Back to the Future is of course a favorite! It's odd to think that I am now living in 2018 which is three years after the future imagined in the late 80's film. Another fun fact: The street I live on was used in the original movie for the shot of the Delorean taking off into the mysteries of the future. More recently, Interstellar overwhelmed me with its amazing ideas of time and space and love. A lovely little romantic movie starring Rachel McAdams called About Time really touched me with its theme of being able to go back in time to manipulate events in the recent past.
Who doesn't think about the possibility of a do-over? Or what would have happened if? The further I advance in life, the more I can see how my decisions and choices affected my current situation. But lingering on the wisha-shoulda-coulda's of my life is really a pointless exercise in futility. Oh, if only I hadn't eaten all those McFlurries and spent all my money on cat toys. Perhaps you wonder what would have happened if you had or hadn't married that person, or if you had only given or not given him/her your phone number. If you had taken the job in Hong Kong or hadn't taken the job in South Dakota. If only you had majored in Medicine instead of Home Ec.
My oldest daughter died about a year and a half ago. About 40 years too soon. When I first wrestled with the grief of losing her, my brain wanted to travel down the wisha-shoulda-coulda lane. Oh, I wanted to go there. I wanted to swim among all the if-onlies. But while I was weeping and praying one day, a Still, Small, Voice told me to not to go there. But, God, I argued why shouldn't I go there? And He quietly asked me what good would it do. Would it change what is? And sadly, I knew it wouldn't. Nothing I could have done or should have done could bring her back. Time only moves forward in the real world.
And so forward we have have to keep going. We aren't going to get a do-over. No matter how much we want one. But we can get a Do-Something-New.
Life is about time. I have gone from I don't have time to I hope I have enough time. I have mentioned before I was a 100 mile an hour person. Mercifully time has slowed down, even as my hurtling toward eternity has sped up. Now, I get to take more time doing those things, I used to think I didn't have time for.
So what to do about this time problem? Do it now. This is your year. If there is something you always wanted to do, some place you long to go, do it now. Make a plan. Strategize. Take baby steps. It's not over till it's over. You are not too old to pursue a new dream or even the same dream. Famous folk artist Grandma Moses painted her first painting when she was 76. Col. Sanders started his chicken franchise when he was 65. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her first novel when she was 65. Fauja Singh who is 101 holds the world record for being the oldest marathon runner. I'm just sayin'.
And it's never too late to be kind, to be loving. It's not too late spend time with your children, grand children, your spouse, your parents. It's not too late to tell someone how much you love them, appreciate them. How much they have helped you, encouraged you, meant to you. It's not too late. There is still time. Even if you suffer from an illness, or debilitating injury you can pray, console, encourage, amuse, teach and inspire. Have faith! God isn't through with you, yet!
There is a very elderly lady that I see at the Y all the time. I'll call her Sarah and I understand that she is in her late 90's. She has an electric wheelchair and takes the para-transport to and from her water exercise class. I am amazed and inspired by Sarah and people like her. Her age and her disability have not stopped her from living her life and living it to the best of her ability. Wow. I force my entire household to wait on me hand and foot and complain that my motorized reclining couch is not quite comfortable enough. Sarah, just by being who she is, gets me off the couch. If Sarah at her age can live with her major physical problems, so can I keep going with my much more insignificant issues.
So maybe it is time to strap on those Nike's and Just Do It.
Do it. Don't you think its about time?
