Time..
we all have our own concept of time.. Ive read somewhere that westerners, specially Americans view time as money. The more time you use for work, the more money you earn. Latins, however, view companionship more important than time so even if they are late in a meeting, they would consider it as time well spent if you spend it with people who matter. I think that's where we got our term "Filipino time". We would often say that we are already on our way when in fact we have just started doing what ought to have been done a few minutes or hours or weeks ago. Even if we are late for an appointment or meeting, we wont consider it as wasted time as long as we enjoy the company of our companion when we eventually meet.
"Time is gold" has been a universally accepted thought for centuries now. Time indeed is gold but I dont think that it particularly pertains to anything pecuniary rather it means that we must treat it as a treasure. Something that comes just once...something that cannot be held for long...something that is as fleeting as the wind or the tiny particles of the sand. I was talking on the phone with an old time friend last night and he was pointing out to me the importance of the time you spend with your family. We both tried to reminisce the times when we were younger and how we have spent it quarreling or fighting with our siblings. Looking back at it now, I realize how truly important the time we spend with people that matter.
I know that sooner or later, my sister will get married and she will have to leave our home and settle down with her new family..and then maybe a few years after that, I would be the one to leave and build my own family as well and eventually our youngest sister will have to settle down, too. Thinking about it makes me sad a little because that would mean that I wont get to spend a lot of time with them anymore. My sisters are my bestest friends and my parents are the best people in the world and leaving them is something that my system couldnt totally grasp as of now. This will definitely be a "cross-the-bridge-when-you-get-there" scenario.
Moving on, the actual essence and gravity of time is something that I think is beautiful. And I know that it is really important to make the most out of it because at the sunset of your life it will be awesome to look back at all the crazy and great things and memories you've done. In the end, your academic accomplishments would not matter as much to you as that one time you did something wrong and got away with it. It would not matter as much as that person you ditched class with. And the opinions of people would not matter anymore as much as that one thing you stood up for. I am not saying that you should stop going to school or start doing drugs or anything illegal just so you could have a really crazy memory, remember it'll also be hard to look back at the things you shouldn't have done but did. I'm just saying that you must make sure that you do something you wont regret in the end. Go on with that hike or start that relationship or learn that dance or play that instrument or quit your job and travel or whatever it is you want to do. Do it NOW! Who knows, that may be the start of the new chapter of a really great story called "Your Life". As the song Seasons of Love says, measure you're life in love... and with life comes times well spent or not.
