Many years ago, back when I was still in my teens, I had a bad case of insomnia.
Insomnia is a medical term that is defined as a sleep disorder; which means you may have trouble getting sleep.
I would lay all night in my bed thinking and wondering.
I have tried many things to make me asleep; reading books and counting sleep to drinking milk before bed.
None of it works. I still can't get a good night's sleep.
So, I decided to listen to the radio.
During that time, around the late 90s to early 2000 there was a local am band that was quite popular in here.
The radio station was operating 24 hours daily.
In the late evening to dawn, it played great classic songs and melodies from the past.
Bands such as Air Supply, Scorpions, Nazareth, to sweet melodies from Journey played all night.
One night, as I was listening to the radio, there was this one particular band that I could not guess.
The tune was quite ephemeral and haunting at the same time.
It sounded sad but at the same time the message was clear: it was about time.
Years later, as I was checking my Spotify playlist, there was this one music recommendation.
The song was titled Time, by a band called the Alan Parsons Project.
Well, I said to myself, should try to listen to this.
As soon as I hit play, the moment the song started playing, It bought a tear down my cheeks.
It was the song that I listened to in my youth; the song that touched my heart.
The first lyrics of the song were as follows:
"Time, flowing like a river
Time, beckoning me
Who knows when
We shall meet again, if ever
But time keeps flowing
Like a river to the sea"
You may be wondering why I was quoting that song at the beginning of this post.
Recently, I was quite busy- so busy that I had barely enough time to write my blog.
Duties and responsibilities at home and work take a toll on our lives at some point in time.
Makes me wonder, it all goes so fast.
It made me realize that the most valuable resource a person has, and ever will be, is not gold riches, or material things.
Gold, riches, material things, degrees, and honorary titles are not bad per se.
These things can be lost but can also be replaced.
But the one thing we could never replace once wasted is TIME.
It hit me like a solid wall of granite.
Some of us may take time for granted and therefore waste it and never value it.
They say oh I will do this later, I will do this and that on a specific period but not now.
If only they realize the value of time!
They will realize it eventually when they are out of time.
I, therefore, am truly reminded by the stoics on the importance of time.
Let me share with you some of my favorite quotes from Marcus Aurelius, one of the great Roman emperors of all time.
"Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is gone.”- Marcus Aurelius
His thought on time really reminds us not to waste time.
"Don’t behave as if you are destined to live forever. What’s fated hangs over you. As long as you live and while you can, become good now.” -Marcus Aurelius
Speaking of doing good, since it is December, my wife and I decided to give back and share some of the blessings we received with the community.
It may not be much, but believe me, it makes a lot of difference.
Merry Christmas everyone!