Today I want to talk about time. A lot of it has passed since I last wrote anything for this blog. Slowly and swiftly, it has ticked away the seconds, minutes, hours, days, and weeks. The New Year is now here and the calendar has reset itself for another 12-month race. On your mark, get set, go! Ready or not, time waits for no one.

So then, how do we find it? Do we keep it? Do we waste it? Where does it go?

It’s funny how, in our attempts to make sense of time, we like to talk about it as if it were an actual person, place, or thing.

Maybe that’s because we secretly know that that is what time is all about.

After all, when we reach the end of our lives, we do not measure them by seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. No, we measure them by the people, places, and things that filled them. We measure them by the eternal feelings of love and joy such things inspire. The ticking of the clock, we realize, sounds quite different when heard against the steady rhythm of a human heart.

So, if you, like me, find yourself frequently falling behind the time–if you think you are in need of more of it–be encouraged: the most important things in life are timeless. Hold onto the people, places, and things that give meaning to your existence. Measure your moments by real faces and hands.

If the last year has taught me anything, it is that life is precious. The next time you feel pressured by the racing of the clock, remember, you are already living your life. So why rush to get through it?

The simple truth is, we can all afford to lose time if it means gaining perspective.

Thank you for allowing me to share mine with you today.