Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months all mark the passing of time. But nothing seems to broadcast the unceasing march of time more than the change of the calendar year: suddenly 52 weeks, 365 days, and countless hours and minutes are all now irretrievably in the past.
Perhaps you, like I, feel a slight sense of shock turning the pages of this issue and seeing the year 2010 stamped prominently at the left-hand corner of every other page. I can hardly believe another year has passed, or that an entire decade of the new millennium is now behind us. As one who habitually complains about the shortage of time, I felt rebuked when I recently read these words quoted in a friend’s blog:
“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.” —French satirist Jean de la Bruyère, in Caractères
Rebuked because the idea rang a little too true to my own life. Certainly our cognizance of time’s passing and consequent tinge of guilt drive us to make New Year’s resolutions—plans for how to better use the next 52 weeks, 365 days, and the hours and minutes within them.
But time is a great equalizer. No matter our nationality, occupation, or account balance, we are all allotted the same number of hours in a day and days in a year. There is no way to generate or invent more, as hard as we might wish. And while meditation may help us better plan our time, often planning and contemplation become planned procrastination.
“In reality, killing time is only the name for another of the multifarious ways by which Time kills us.” —English writer Osbert Sitwell
Yes, time is killing us. We all have the same number of hours in a day, but our total number of days, hours, and minutes are not equal or even known. What’s that old saying? The only thing you can count on is death and taxes. Though our number of days may not be equal, the knowledge of our own mortality is something we do share. This knowledge often adds to that sense of urgency to better use the minutes and hours we have.
What does this discussion of time have to do with our annual summer program issue?
Recently, a singer friend shared with me over lunch snippets of her musical journey. After completing an undergraduate degree, she spent several years working a non-music-related job that she loved. Four years later, she took time off and spent two months at a summer program in Italy. This was the first time in her life that she had enjoyed such luxury of devoting all of her time to nothing but music. Amazed and inspired by the immense progress she made, she determined to use her time differently. She applied to graduate school, completed a master’s degree at a top conservatory, and now enjoys singing full time. A summer program could be the catalytic change you need.
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” —Benjamin Franklin
Our lives are made up of minutes, hours, and days—and how we choose to spend them. Thankfully, time is merciful. No matter how much we have wasted in the past, we always have a fresh minute, hour, or day ahead of us. At least until we’re pushing up daisies—all the more reason to make the most of today.
