Gifts of Time

by Tom Reilly

An immutable fact of nature is that time is our most precious and democratic resource. Everyone has the same twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week, three-hundred and sixty-five days per year. Some view it as a commodity: they spend it, save it, waste it, trade it, and kill it. How many times have you heard, “I just wish I had more time.” or “I’m out of time.” or “There aren’t enough hours in the day to do the things I want to do?”

Time management is a misnomer. We don’t manage time. We manage ourselves within the constraints of time. Managing ourselves means understanding that we invest our time in ways that provide us with the outcomes we desire from life.

Over the years I’ve evaluated several time management systems, courses, and methods. I’ve enjoyed the results as I learned how to use my time effectively.

Along the way, I discovered another immutable fact of nature. Every day life blesses us with gifts of time: the fifteen or twenty minutes of waiting time at the doctor’s office; the five minute wait in a grocery store line; the two-hour delay at airports between flights; the thirty-minute holding pattern before landing; the extra commute time during an especially tough rush hour; the seasonally slow service at malls; the customer who keeps a sales-person waiting for twenty minutes; the extra fifteen minutes we spend watching movie screens before the feature starts; the time we “kill” waiting for busses or car pool rides; the time between classes; and the list goes on.

Everyday living treats us to these moments of life—gifts of time. Some view them as aggravations, irritations or time wasters. Others view them as bonuses. Your attitude toward these gifts of time determines your stress level. Once I accepted the reality and inevitability of gifts of time my attitude changed. They became opportunities, not irritants.

Of course, I had some prompting. I vividly recall lying in the intensive care unit at Memorial City Hospital in Houston wondering if I would live or die from the cancer they discovered in my body. I was in serious condition because the surgery lasted several hours and involved a great deal of tissue removal from my neck. The doctor couldn’t guess what would happen to me next. It was wait and see.

I was lying in the bed wishing that I were a few hundred feet away sitting in the slow-moving, rush-hour traffic on the Katy freeway. Anyone who has ever experienced that traffic jam would question my sanity at that moment. I suddenly craved the boredom of daily living: long, slow moving lines; sunsets and sunrises; screaming children in church; long waits in restaurants; and the beautiful frustration of being delayed by the foursome in front of me on the golf course! I felt life slipping away and desperately wanted every moment of it back.

Today, sixteen years later, I still think about the boredom of daily living. Sometimes I stress myself when I must wait, but this is a self-inflicted wound. Then I remember, I’m blessed with a gift of time and treat myself to a special use of these moments. I’m more cognizant now of how I use these gifts of time. I’m more proactive these days. When I’m prepared for them, I lower my stress.

I travel these days in walking shoes. Excessive delays between flights is now an opportunity to stretch my legs and get some “bonus” exercise at the airports. Holding patterns on planes give me the opportunity to finish reading the novel I’ve been carrying for weeks.

Long, rush-hour lines are really two gifts of time for me. On the one hand, I mercifully watch the angry faces of other drivers and feel for them. They are stressed and hate what they’re experiencing. Their frustration is a constant reminder that this is a gift of time. I use this time to listen to music. I may use this time to dictate a letter or an article. I may just sit there and drink in the beautifully relaxing music as a great buffer between the pressures of the day and the time I want to spend with my family that night.

Grocery store lines these days are opportunities to spend time with my Creator . . . just a few minutes of silent reflection on the many blessings He’s bestowed on me. And then sometimes if I’m in a long, slow-moving line for an amusement ride or a movie, I stand there and enjoy the anticipation or, I may use it as an opportunity to meet a new friend.

Do I still get frustrated by these things? Of course. It generally happens when I have over-scheduled, over-expected, and under-prepared. My goal is to maximize the gifts of time and minimize the irritations. Not only is it possible—it’s preferable. Do yourself a favor. Treat yourself to the gifts-of-time attitude: you’ll be glad you did!