There are a lot of parables and axioms to live by that are passed on to us by people who acquired wisdom. Although they may seem trite and hackneyed, they probably would not endure unless they were truisms. How often have you heard it said, “If you have your health, you have everything?” I suspect that this saying is very true. Woe be to those who are in pain or distress.
I once saw a symbolic painting by a Japanese artist showing a horizon line across the middle of his painting. The first item setting on the horizon was the portrait of a woman (although it could have just as easily been a “man”). The next was a hammer standing upright on the end of its handle. The last item was a sunrise coming up over the horizon. When asked what these items connoted, he responded by saying that they were his pictorial definition of “happiness.” The portrait of the lady/man symbolized someone to love. The hammer… some work to do. And the rising sum evidenced something to look forward to – his three essentials of having a happy existence.
We have all heard that “time is money,” but I’d like to suggest that there is something much more important than money… Time is EVERYTHING!
Time is a gift we too often expect to be relatively endless. All too frequently, we fill our time with useless preoccupations and idleness without pursuing productive and satisfying accomplishments. How sad because “time” is an opportunity to be with someone, play with your children/grandchildren, create something, give something of yourself to those that hunger for encouragement and understanding, keep yourself fit, eat nourishing foods, ponder profound ideas and always be a resources to others who quietly reach out to you with soulful searching eyes.
Sure, it’s important to earn money, but it’s more important to use your time wisely to move closer to your formula for personal happiness and fulfillment.
