Like Sands Through the Hourglass

Soap opera fans, you probably recognize this line from the opening credits of Days of Our Lives. Honestly, I always thought soap operas were stupid, until I went to college. Disclosure time – I found myself regularly watching Ryan’s Hope and All My Children with my friends and baseball teammates. (We would have been hooked on General Hospital, but baseball practice usually conflicted.) Enough honesty about soap operas.

Last week at a car rental center, there was a soap opera on the television in the waiting room. It reminded me of that line from Days of Our Lives, “Like sands through the hourglass…”

While I may not miss watching soap operas, it did remind me of how quickly time flashes by. In fact, the entire opening line was “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” Time flies and days and opportunities pass us by. How often do you hear yourself saying, “I wish I had more time”?

While it seems like you need more time, the truth is simple. You don’t get more time, so there are two questions you must answer:

1. What will you do with your time? and
2. How present will you be with your time?

Frankly, being more present is vitally more important than having more time.

Think about your children. How many of you wish you’d spent / spend more time with your children? How many of you wish you were / are more present with your children? Your kids don’t want your time – they want your presence. The same is true for your friends, partners and team members.

The sands of the hourglass are always flowing. The days, weeks, months, and years of your life keep going. You can’t stop or slow down the hourglass of time, but you can slow down yourself. That’s precisely what presence does – it slows you down and allows you to fully experience the time you have.

Commit to doing things differently with your time instead of hoping for more of it. As time passes, memories and experiences are being missed because you weren’t allowing yourself to be present. What are you waiting for?

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