Time.
It is a topic that has fascinated scientists, philosophers, poets, and theologians since, well…the beginning of time.
Time has been on my mind recently for several reasons.
Readers of this blog know that Brenda and I have been walking through the challenges that come with aging parents. At the very same time, we recently celebrated birthdays for two of our youngest grandchildren. It is hard not to think about the passage of time when, in the span of a single weekend, you witness the boundless joy of childhood alongside the very real struggles that often accompany old age.
It is a reminder that life isn’t lived in chapters. It is lived all at once. While one generation is just beginning its story, another is writing its final pages.
Time has also been in the news.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Given all of the serious issues demanding the attention of Congress, it seems fitting that they would devote energy to something I happen to think is exactly backwards. If changing the clocks twice a year is truly such an unbearable burden, Standard Time should be made permanent—not Daylight Saving Time. But Congress will be Congress.
The calendar offers another reminder that time keeps moving.
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is only days away. Baseball has always measured time differently than other sports. Opening Day signals the promise of spring. The All-Star Game tells us summer is halfway gone. And the trade deadline quietly reminds us that autumn is waiting just around the corner.
As a middle-aged man who is moving steadily past the “middle” part of that description, time occupies my thoughts more than it once did.
Watching one grandson turn four and one granddaughter turn six reminded me how effortlessly children experience joy. The excitement of opening presents. The smile that comes from getting exactly what they hoped for. I don’t know if I will ever experience that same innocent excitement again, but I was reminded that life’s greatest pleasures are often its simplest ones.
We’re now several weeks past the summer solstice. The days are still long, but each sunset arrives a little earlier than the one before it. That shortening daylight feels like an appropriate metaphor for life itself.
Youth finds joy in anticipation. Older age often finds joy in appreciation.
The fun may become a good meal with family, an afternoon on the lake, a conversation with an old friend, or simply waking up with fewer aches and pains than yesterday. The joys may change, but they never disappear.
The baseball trade deadline has always fascinated me because it forces every organization to confront the same question we all eventually face.
Do you sacrifice tomorrow to improve today?
Contending teams willingly trade away talented young prospects for established veterans who might help them win a championship now. Other teams decide the future matters more than the present and begin rebuilding for seasons yet to come.
Neither approach is automatically right. They’re simply different tradeoffs. Life is full of those same decisions.
Do I spend money today on something that brings immediate happiness, or invest it to create greater security years from now? Do I devote more hours to building a career, or spend that time with the people I love? Do I chase one more opportunity, or learn to appreciate what I already have?
Kenny Rogers famously sang that you’ve got to “know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.” General managers in baseball build—or lose—their reputations based on those decisions. The same is often true in life.
I don’t believe it’s possible to live a meaningful life without accumulating a few regrets along the way. Anyone who claims otherwise probably hasn’t reflected very deeply, or perhaps simply isn’t willing to admit their mistakes.
The goal isn’t to avoid every regret. The goal is to recognize that every choice carries a tradeoff, and to make those choices thoughtfully.
As technology continues to make life faster and more efficient, I’m increasingly grateful to be at an age where slowing down feels less like falling behind and more like gaining perspective.
Time will keep marching forward whether we’re ready or not.
The trade deadline will come and go.
My grandchildren will grow up much faster than I can possibly imagine.
My parents will continue their journey through the final season of life.
And somewhere in between, I hope I remember to appreciate the season I’m living in today.
As summer continues to slip by, I hope you’ll take a few moments to reflect on the remarkable, relentless, and precious passage of time.
That’s the perspective this week.
Until next Friday,
Tuescher
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