Time is a part of me. It is a part of our life. Time is all the little bits that build up who someone is, and they use these bits to fill and shade all the different colors of who they are. I am content giving these away, usually, as I feel like the time is more often exchanged - I give some of my time to be with dear friends, as they give some of theirs in return. We each grow a shade from the other, and I love that! In other ways, the time is giving for learning, or for an experience, or just to let someone else hold that time, because they need to know that someone, somewhere, wants them to have this. They want to know that someone else cares to give their time, and the subsequent benefits of what that time is being utilized for.
What I no longer have the time or care for are the folks that feel the need to take my time. Taking it without return, taking it without asking, and taking my goodwill-given time once, only to persist in continuously consuming it at no personal benefit from the ensuing grief and frustration.
We are all the sum of our parts. One of the most criminally undervalued parts derives from us all being creatures living in time. We have set beginnings and fixed ends - even if we are unaware of the latter. We only have so much time, in an unknown quantity. By this, we only have a finite amount of time to use or give - and we never know how much that may be. Give your time to things that positively affect change in others and the world around you. Give your time to build yourself - learn a song, cook, take an afternoon nap. Do something with the time that you have. But don't just mindlessly give it away, or let any other person take that time from you.
I'm not saying to quit your job, leave your family, and tour the world. I mean - you do you, if that's what you need. What I am saying is to always keep somewhere in the back of your mind the faint reminder that you can only keep doing what you are doing for so long. So, make the most out of it. Make amazing memories. Tell better stories. Waste time creatively. Just don't ever let anyone take that time from you. You wouldn't let someone steal your blood, organs, or lungs - why let them take another part of your being that directly impacts your mortality?
