Honorable Hourglass

This weekend, I was blessed by a local women's retreat! It was great to "get away" for an evening and morning and just have fun learning in the presence and experience of other women. During this morning's session, there was a Q and A panel with four local ladies. One of the ladies was answering a question and was talking about the importance of honoring time. This is something that I have been thinking about a lot -- since last summer, really, and I thought it would be good to blog about it.

One of the things I have discovered over the past year is the importance of honoring time. To each season, there is an importance, a relevance, a purpose. Last summer, I couldn't wait to get engaged. I had been dating Kyle for almost two years and it was just time. I didn't know when things were going to happen, but when summer was about to end and we weren't engaged yet, I spent more time panicking than anything else. Wondering when the time would come. Hmmm.

My current journal is blue. I refer to is as my "blue" journal, too. It is full of too many boo-hoos. There was a time right before I was engaged that I just decided that I really needed to strive to live in the moment, honor time, let it be what it would be. Then, low and behold, engagement day came. Now, I find myself having to sit back and enjoy my engagement. It's also my last semester of college -- instead of freaking out about my future, I need to slow down and enjoy this time. How important it is to not "check out" yet -- to not ditch friends yet, academics, professors, college life. It's not my time to go find a full-time job yet. It's not time quite yet. I think honoring time is a discipline that is going to be more beneficial if it's learned now. It's time to honor time. You're not getting these current moments back.

3:55 in a 4:00 O'Clock World

The other day, my friend, Lauren, and I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to grab some alfredo sauce. In the mean time, we decided that we were going to go to Sonic before happy hour ended. It was about 3:55 (happy hour is from 2-4) and there was a line of cars, out in the street taking up the entire turning lane. Lauren and I were in this mess and when we looked back behind us, about a minute later, there were cars from three different intersecting points, blinkers on, trying to get into this Sonic fast track. Then, when we finally did get on the Sonic premises, cars would not even take the parking stalls, they proceeded to all make one big line through the drive-thru in which no one else could pass by to even get to empty slots. Whoa, whoa, whoa! This really is the world in which we often live -- procrastination, waiting until the last second, throwing things together, committing to too many things, thinking 5 more minutes will be our saving grace.

You know, if you go to Sonic at 3:00 there won't be a line. There won't be crazies trying to come at you from at least three different directions. You can take some time to breathe and actually enjoy that Raspberry Limeade a bit.

After that trip to Sonic, I decided, I don't want to be the rushing 3:55 in a 4:00 o'clock world, hoping I will make the cut.