The Time of Our Life

Our life span is generally measured in years while the events that materially affect it take much less time to occur. Not months nor days nor hours nor even minutes. No, the times that truly describe our life take but a moment though they are responsible for the twists and turns we inevitably experience.

I’ve written in the past of “marking moments”. The moments I’m referring to today have a slightly different meaning. These moments are out of our control yet exert tremendous control over our futures. Winning a lottery, for instance. True, we played the numbers, but most of us waste little time hoping for our ship to come in. So, when that ship does come in, what a moment and, yes, it changes our life. We tend to consider such moments as golden ones, but the sadness in our past is privy to a moment, too. The death of a loved one may well be one of the  saddest moments imaginable. No, goodness has no exclusivity when it comes to the times in our life. And good or bad, these moments change the rest of our life, or at least a good portion of it.

"Big  deal," you  say. "So what?" The “deal” lies in the fact that, as I  stated earlier, we measure in longer time spans and, in so doing, miss the magnitude of these moments and the power they possess. The tsunami survivors in Japan have had their lives inalterably affected in the blink of an eye. Others involved in natural (or manmade) disasters have experienced similar episodes. Others, still, have averted similar fates by the merest of margins. Yup, another moment.

These moments significantly change the course of our lives and we need to accept their existence. Otherwise, we take our quiet, organized life for granted and cry, “Foul” when faced with the harsh reality of setback or failure. And conversely, events that may change our life for the better could well be short-lived. What I propose is that we take the time to recognize how frail life can be. Our moments will be both bitter and blissful, but they are the mile markers we use to describe ourselves. While we usually look to the calendar to keep track of time, a stopwatch may be more appropriate.

And finally, when it all comes to an end, we pass on in a moment that will inexorably change the lives of others. Moments, folks: they are what we are truly made of and they are what truly defines the times of our lives.