Tag Archives: existence

T I M E

Posted on by

Time seems to be a man-made concept created to give our lives some sort of logical order. Our existence in this time-like environment is similar to a blip on a radar screen, but a glorious one, at that. I have thought a great deal about time this past year. Too many deaths; some expected and some sudden. Most passings are of the older crowd, but a few are far too young to have occurred, but they did.

This is not a morbid post even though I speak of death. No pun intended, but death is a fact of this life. What we accomplish and who we become, between birth and death, is deemed by many as a way to define us. We may become financially successful, intellectually and/or academically prominent, creative beyond our wildest imaginations, philanthropic to an excess we can’t comprehend, athletically superb, or simply average (as are most of us). But what of our very essence; the most significant aspect of who and what we really are – our souls?

Today is my dad’s birthday. He would have been one hundred years old had he lived past his sixtieth birthday. I was a young man when he died. I have outlived him in years, yet memories abound even though I spent less than a third of my time with dad while he was alive. Time…what does it really mean?

Recently, I watched a documentary called Blue Zones which is about Centenarians. The researcher identified half a dozen areas around the world where the populations lived well past their mid-nineties and had above average health. It was insightful to learn what dynamics shaped their longevity and good quality of life, and I came away realizing that I can put into practice much of what I learned. However, my goal is quality over longevity, but to have both could be a bonus.

Several songs about Time have been playing in my head: Time by Pink Floyd is probably the most notable song about this concept. Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle is beautiful. Another rock song is Fly Like and Eagle by The Steve Miller band where Steve sings about time slipping away. Then, there is this Alan Jackson song which melts my heart when I hear it, and as I sing along with Alan, who wrote it. Rather than sing it, I chose to list the lyrics below. I hope it causes you to reconsider Time. Enjoy!

Remember when I was young and so were you. And time stood still and love was all we knew. You were the first, so was I. We made love and then you cried. Remember when.

Remember when we vowed the vows and walked the walk. Gave our hearts, made the start and it was hard. We lived and learned, life threw curves. There was joy, there was hurt. Remember when.

Remember when old ones died and new were born. And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged. We came together, fell apart, and broke each other’s hearts. Remember when.

Remember when the sound of little feet was the music we danced to week to week. Brought back the love, we found trust. Vowed we’d never give it up. Remember when.

Remember when thirty seemed so old. Now lookin’ back, it’s just a steppin’ stone. To where we are, where we’ve been. Said we’d do it all again. Remember when.

Remember when we said when we turned gray. When the children grow up and move away. We won’t be sad, we’ll be glad. For all the life we’ve had. And we’ll remember when.

For Cheryl

e v a n e s c e n t

Posted on by

The new year, 2024, has dawned, and has prompted me to think about 2023 and what lies ahead. No resolutions or singing Old Lang Syne with drunken friends. Nor did I watch the big ball drop at the stroke of midnight in Times Square or shoot off fireworks. Boring, I know, but January 1st is just another day, no more profound than any other day, but no less profound, either. For some, 2023 was a banner year, and for far too many it was the opposite. Based on various polling, it appears that many of us look to the future with a bit of trepidation as uncertainty looms in every sphere of our personal and collective lives. Fear, mistrust, disunity, anger and hostility in what were once peaceful places has replaced feelings of security and optimism.

However, I believe we know intuitively that physiologically abandoning ship is not a good option. We cannot lose hope for a better tomorrow. At the same time, I believe it is imperative that we understand our earthly lives are transient. As the Apostle James stated, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes.” A realistic perspective is vital in moving forward during the coming year; not a doomsday outlook, but an honest one.

Evanescent is an apt word to describe our world and our existence. The literary definition means “something that will soon be passing out of sight, memory, or existence: quickly fading or disappearing: a shimmering evanescent bubble”. The physics’ definition denotes “a field or wave that extends into a region where it cannot propagate and whose amplitude therefore decreases with distance”.

There is nothing particularly special about these photographs, except for how they tie into the definition as stated above. Most everyone has seen clouds pass-by overhead. Eventually, they will dissipate into atmosphere, seen no more. Ocean waves, even Tsunami size waves, eventually dissipate and recede to the body of water they came from with their energy depleted…placidness.

For every sunset there is a sunrise. For every cry there is a laugh. For every valley there is a peak. For every desert there is an oasis. For every tragedy there is miracle. For every broken heart there is a healing salve. And, for every death there is new life. I could expound further, but that’s not necessary. What is imperative, at least in my mind, is that I have come to understand the brevity of life as well as the daily opportunity to experience it sublimely.

I readily acknowledge that I am not living in a war zone nor in extreme poverty nor under oppression. So, many may say that what I have espoused thus far is pollyannish thinking, and I understand this reaction. I also acknowledge that I don’t know how I would react while experiencing such horrific conditions. Like all of you, I have had my share of trials and triumphs this past year, although the trials did seem to be more abundant. But this is a very biased comment. Truth be told, I am blessed in so many ways that I don’t deserve.

Hopelessness is like a cancer as it slowly destroys our souls, dimming our inner light and leaving us bitter and empty. The world is a mess. To say otherwise would be in denial of the obvious. And we can do little to change it in the grand scheme of things. Not what we want to hear, but I believe this is the truth. There is good news, though. I came across this quote yesterday which was made by an anonymous French priest, “God doesn’t ask you to change the world. He asks you to do something much more difficult-to change yourself”. We can attend seminars, devore self-help books, join social media groups, make new year resolutions, etc., but to what avail? I believe the only way for self-change to stick, to be truly successful, is to seek help from the One who knows us most intimately. And, if we allow God to assist us in changing for the better, our world will be affected positively.

Happy New Year !