“Time, time, time, see what’s become of me while I looked around for my possibilities.” –The Bangles 😉
The months of May and June for me are busy ones. Too busy, really; they are filled with both end-of-the-year ceremonies and obligations and summer planning. Beginnings and endings. The use of time and the planning of time. Time.
Time is so obscure, that as I try to wrap my head around it, I get dizzy. I have just one year before my son is a senior in high school, yet it was just yesterday when he was sitting on my knee. Time. My 
daughter is going to be entering high school later this year—she went from scrappy toddler to high schooler in what seems like a nanosecond. Time. I am spending much of my time planning summer barbecues, vacations, kids’ camps and kids’ jobs. Time. “I can’t make it that day. Can we do it another day?” This is what ends up being said amongst a group of eight girls—my best friends since college—when we try planning a get together! Time.
Time is not a “given,” not really—time is something you must make. You must make time for the important stuff (and make time to figure out what’s important). Make time to see those friends you only see once or twice a year; make time for family vacations; make time for meditation, detoxing and coffee with friends. Make time because there will come a point when you have run out of time.
A woman I knew, Laura, ran out of time last month. She was vivacious and ALWAYS smiling. She woke up one morning, and just hours later, had an acute heart attack. She passed immediately. At her memorial wake, I was comforted to see every picture showed that contagious smile. Her time was filled with that smile.
Is your time filled with smiles? Or are you overwhelmed, scowling and furrowing your brow in concentration on the next task due? Are you filling time with tasks, chores and worries and not filling it with smiles, laughs, hopes and dreams?
July is here, and with it comes more … you guessed it … time. How will you use it? Why not make an intention right now to use it to reconnect with your children; reconnect with your part- ners, your food, your friends, even the earth (you know, it’s not too late to plant a few veggies). How about making time for people you don’t know? Volunteer! Even one hour a week will change you profoundly (I promise!)
Think you don’t have time to volunteer? Not even one hour? How about one minute? Fourth of July is a day we celebrate the wonderful gifts we have offered to us simply because we are blessed enough to live in this country. Why not take time for gratitude; take one minute of your time and thank a veteran for their service.
Mostly, though, it may be a nice time to reconnect with yourself—to sit down and ask: “How is my time spent? Am I stuck in a house, fighting with my kids or my husband? Am I spending it worrying about impending job loss or marriage failure? If so, demand that precious time back. Refocus it and spend it on things that make you smile, like Laura did. And if you are lucky, when your time has expired, you too will be remembered for your generous smile.
Malama Pono!
Kelly Martinsen, Publisher
Kelly McGrath Martinsen, is publisher of Natural Awakenings Long Island and a “lover of living life inspired” as such she has paired with HCI Communications and will be releasing her first book, A Year of Inspired Living which can be pre-ordered at http://amzn.to/2spoepK
