Why Time Is All We Have

Time is with us at every moment. It allows us to do things and become the people we want to be. We have no control over it. It’s always there. We aren’t necessarily aware of its presence until we take a look back. Time is everything. It structures our days, our years, and our life. It is subtle enough that we only notice it when we think about it. Time is misunderstood as being limited, but it is simply an ongoing point of reference.

Time is every emotion. Time lets us feel the joy and nervousness we’ve had for nine months when we welcome a baby into our life. Time lets us raise a child. It makes us cherish all the exciting and frustrating moments we have or will have as parents. It makes us hold on to the little moments, like when children take their first step. Time heals a broken bone when we fall off of our bike or trip playing soccer. It brings a countdown every year for when Santa will make his visit. It tells us when we have to come inside for dinner when we’ve been playing in the neighborhood for hours. Time graduates us from elementary school to secondary school to college. It gradually matures a child into an adult.

Time builds tension in our lives. It gives us stress when we have an essay due the next day or an exam in our class. It makes us eager to get asked to the prom. It makes us anxious to receive a college or graduate school acceptance letter. Time lets us develop relationships with our family and friends. It allows us to break out of our comfort zone. It reminds us of how long we’ve had a crush on someone. Time gives us that burst of courage that we’ve been holding back for so long. We discover new qualities about ourselves as we experience more things. It gives us the feeling of accomplishment when our hard work pays off.

Time teaches us how to love and trust. It lets us feel comfortable and open up to new friends. We find those who can keep our secrets. Time gives us the confidence we need to ask someone out. It helps us learn the quirkiness of someone who we are utterly attracted to. We become oblivious to time when things seem perfect. Time makes us vulnerable to heartbreak. It alters our willingness to be spontaneous. We learn to consider another person’s perspective before ours. Time creates distance when people grow apart. It makes us miss someone, and then lets us feel the overwhelming moment of happiness when we see them for the first time in days, months, or years.

Time makes us regret the things that we didn’t do. We look back, sometimes wishing we could change the past, but time has kept the past for itself. Time teaches us lessons. It lets us discover our flaws. We are constantly learning from our experiences. Time allows us to reflect on our mistakes. Sometimes our faults will be so small that we simply laugh at ourselves, but other times they will have a much greater affect on our emotions. Time fails to give us an answer when we ask, “What if…?”.

Time is not perfect. It brings unexpected setbacks and undeserved endings. It allows us to grieve in periods of sorrow. It forces us to reflect and appreciate what we have. We learn to not be envious of others, and instead be grateful for what we have. Time teaches us how to be supportive when we are needed most, but also when we are needed least. At some point we will all need a shoulder to lean on, but we will also need to provide our shoulder to someone else. We will appreciate those who love us and occasionally forget to say thank you. Time makes us wish we took more opportunities to tell our family and friends how much we care about them.

Time gives us perspective. We begin to prioritize what is most important to us. It gives us something to look forward to. We think about our career, goals, and love. Time changes two strangers into best friends, and friendships into marriages. It turns an idea into reality. Time makes us cherish every living moment. It makes a glimpse of our life feel much longer. Although we often refer to time as a quantity, time is more than just a number on a clock. It is a growing memory, containing every emotion from every moment of our lives that we can reflect on whenever we desire.