Time - It's All We've Got

Hanging on the wall of my childhood home there's an old Bulova Hartwick clock. Ever since I can remember it's been there, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, and hour by hour. At the top of each hour it rang loudly, at one o'clock once, a two o'clock twice, and so on. When I'd fall asleep on the couch, the ominous sound would wake me, and would be my queue to gather my blanket and pillow and retreat to my bedroom where I would sleep until the morning. Although I wouldn't hear it throughout the rest of the night, coming out of my room each morning, there it was, still ticking away, waiting for the next hour to play its song. As I grew older I got better at tuning it out, and only listened to the ticking and ringing when I actually needed to know what time it was. 

I wonder now about the maker of the clock, and what his purpose for such a loud, almost threatening alarm was. Maybe his idea was to be the loudest of all others, so that buyers would notice his clock first, and then buy it. Maybe he designed it so that those who were wealthy would be attracted to, this way they could only have that one clock to ring throughout their entire home. Or maybe he was trying to warn us, not of anything threatening, but to serve as a warning that time never stops, and to remind us of how valuable our time is.

Maybe the creator of the clock was reminding us that our time here on earth is short. Everyone's clock ticks the same, there is only so many hours in a day, days in a year, and years in a lifetime. The most unfortunate aspect of time is that we don't know when ours is up, which is the prime reason that we should take advantage of every second we have to spend. 

 Tomorrow is not promised, and it's so easy to forget this. As we go on with our daily routines, and lay our heads down to sleep, we just assume that we'll be there the next day to greet the rising sun. We continue to put things off because we feel that we have eternity to do them, or maybe we're holding grudges, or living in angst. "Live for now" isn't just a saying, or a catchphrase, it's a message that holds something very valuable in its underlying meaning.

Living for now is spending your time like every second is your last. No, this doesn't mean to go travel the world on your credit card. Or quit your job and live in a van for a whole year (something Mady won't let us do, which is probably for the best). It means that you should do what makes your heart happy, whether it's drinking good coffee every chance you get, or setting aside an hour out of your day to go out and surround yourself in nature. There's absolutely no reason to hold yourself back in this life, nothing great has ever happened from anyone waiting around for things to take shape. Take chances, learn from your mistakes, and you'll become a better, more knowledgable human after its all said and done. 

This idea of living for now gives us a whole new perspective on life. It gives us the mindset to be spontaneous, adventurous, and most of all, to be the best version of ourselves. So make the best out of your time here on earth, whether you have 5 minutes, or 5 years left, make it the best damn time of your life!