From the age of infancy, we have been taught simple lessons. We're taught things like language, who and what is safe, what's right or wrong, what's right and left, and how to walk. As we get older, we learn greater lessons. We learn math, science, how to drive a car or where babies come from.
I remember that one of the lessons that I was taught as a child was: "Learn from other people's mistakes because life is too short to learn them all yourself." This is one of those lessons I've tried to incorporate into my daily for as long as I've had the knowledge. I've also done my best to past this lesson/warning onto others and most importantly, the younger generation like my children.
And while learning lessons from other people so that we don't have to encounter the same degree of hardship as others in our position is great, there are some things that just have to be learned and acknowledged ourselves.
When I worked for my previous employer, the nature of my job and my position sometimes kept me there beyond my scheduled shift. This happening every once in a while wouldn't be so much of an issue, but it started to happen more and more as the quality of the employees became more.... we'll say "inconsistent".
I wasn't a salary employee so my bill collectors and my bank account didn't mind the slightly higher account totals, but this wasn't a victimless "Crime of my Time". There were plenty of days where my children would reach out to me wanting my to do something after my weekend shifts. Those typically ended about 3 to 4pm. Almost as soon as these plans were made, something would happen at work that would force me to cancel my plans and stay at work. Again, every so often wouldn't have bothered me as much, but it was a lot more regular than I deserved.
I had a talk with my oldest son this morning. During this talk, my son finally let it out how much he missed me during those times and I was able to see his pent-up pain and sadness caused by my absence. I read it in his tears. I can only imagine how the other kids felt.
So, with this lesson, I remind everyone to make time for those you consider important to you. Spouses, children, friends, parents, neighbors, etc. Your absence from their lives is noticed and felt. Whether you're at work or you just stopped calling and having a quality conversation, it's noticed and it's felt. And it hurts.
Let's put in the work to reverse this course. Make that call. Send that text. Write that letter (and when I say letter, I mean letter. Get an ink pen, paper, an envelope, and a stamp. Dig up that address and WRITE A DAMN LETTER! There's something special about getting a letter in the mail and knowing that something took TIME to sit and write a letter)
The Lesson here today is: The Value of TIME. Time is much more valuable than money. You earn a dollar, you spend a dollar, and you can earn another one. Time, however, once spent is lost. We must spent our TIME more wisely.
- Moon