I have been wanting to write this post for a while, but struggling with how to start it. Today is my dad’s birthday and provides the opportunity I have been searching to find. My dad passed away when I was six years old. Luckily I have a handful of memories with him to cherish. Unfortunately, my younger brother was only five months old when we lost our dad and does not have any memories of him. There are a couple pictures of them together, but nothing more. Life has a way of taking unforeseen twists and turns. We never really know how much “time” we have with someone.
As I have been thinking about time (something I do a lot these days) I wondered what color most people would associate with it. My husband believes it is white. His primary reasoning is that the faces of most clocks and watches are white. I think there is validity to his point. Even old clocks, like Big Ben, have white faces due to the ease of readability. But, is there more to time? Does time really exist or is it a human notion?
Salvador Dali‘s The Persistence of Memory portrays melting white clock faces as he explored the concept of time. As humans we tend to be obsessed with time. Am I running late? How long will that take me to do? Do we have enough time for that? Are we using our time wisely? Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in time we forget to enjoy the actual activity we are doing as well as the people completing the activity with us. I know I have been caught in this trap from time to time (😉).
The conclusion I have come to is that whether or not time truly exists the span of duration that we have should not be taken for granted. There is not wiggle room to hold grudges or wait to fix relationships. There is not wiggle room to be unkind. There is not wiggle room to spend all day on our phones. Essentially there is not wiggle room to wait to enjoy life and those we share it with.
Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure – that of being. ~Salvador Dali
The Artfelt Brush 