Your Time
From the mind of Johnny V.

This morning I went to the phone store because I was having issues with my phone. I am currently seeking employment, so my phone is a critical component in the process. As it turned out the problem with my phone was not repairable. The young lady assisting me informed me that with my insurance I could replace the phone I had or for no additional cost I could upgrade to the new 5G blah, blah 22 something and it would be better. So! I opted for the upgrade. She had me sign some paperwork gave me my new phone still in the sealed box. She then told me I could take it home and set everything up and transfer the whatever and customize it the way I like it and some other stuff that drifted off into incoherent mumble. At this point I had been at the store for about an hour. The young lady looked at me and caught the panicked look I was sporting and asked, “can I help you with that?” my answer was a relieved “Please!”
20 to 30 minutes later my new phone was ready to use. She put the boxes and cords and other stuff into a bag I put my phone in my pocket. I then told her “I appreciate your time, thank you”. She looked at me and smiled for the first time, asked if “she could ask me a question?” “Sure!”
She asked why Seniors (I’m 64 and I didn’t think of myself as a Senior, but there it is) say “I appreciate your Time?” My answer was “I really do appreciate the time you spent assisting me. I know it is your job and all that but what took you 20 minutes to do would have taken me several hours. Your expertise and effort helped me, and I am truly Thankful of the time you used helping me.” She smiled and nodded in understanding.
As I drove home, I thought about the exchange I had with the young saleslady. And it occurred to me the importance of time.
Time is the one commodity in our lives that absolutely cannot be replaced. Once spent it is gone forever. Whether it is those situations where it was no fun, and we say to ourself “that is X number of hours I will never get back” or the happy moments when we feel “that was time well spent”. As a newly realized Senior, I am hyper aware that Tempus Fugit, and to treat it with respect.
And in thinking about this subject, the term “Time is Money” crossed through my mental wiring.
Whether you are an employee, own your business, paid hourly or salary you can break your earnings down to an hourly rate. We exchange our time for compensation. Let’s assume our hourly income is $10.00. With that payment we purchase the things we need and want. What happens if on payday someone takes the ten-dollar bill from our hand and disappears into the distance. Did we lose ten dollars? No! We lost an hour of our time, a piece of our life. We can spend another hour and replace the money, but we cannot replace the time spent to obtain it.
That precious time we spend with friends and family, especially our grandbabies (speaking as a senior) is the culmination of the time we expended in our past, and our reason for pursuing additional time toward the future.
In closing I implore everyone to guard their time like the precious commodity it is. To respect the time of others and to cherish those special moments that make our lives worthwhile.