One of my hobbies and passion right now are watches. My reason for liking watches is not about brand or the adornment it brings when you wear one. It’s about the symbol it represents.
One of the most important things in life is time. It’s one of those finite things that no amount of money can replace. Once time has passed it’s gone. There’s no bringing it back.
Given the nature of my condition, time has always been precious to me. When I was young some doctors told my parents that I might not live past the age of 30. That’s quite short for a person to spend on this earth. So I always tried to make the most out of the time I had. I wasn’t always successful. There’d be days that I’d do stupid things and just waste my time. Some days I am successful and gain experiences that I will take with me forever.
We don’t really know how much time we have in this world. A healthy person can be walking down the street and get hit by bus and dies. A person who is battling cancer and was told he had months to live can beat the odds and live for years. We just don’t know when our time is up.
So the best thing we can do is just make the most out of the time we have right now. It’s an easy thing to say but hard to do.
We get caught up in our jobs, chores and things that make up life that we suddenly find ourselves wondering where time has gone. I actually wondered the same thing a few days ago.
I realized it’s already almost the middle of the year. Time has gone by so quickly and I’m asking myself what have I done this past few months? Did I make the most out of the few months that have passed? Sadly no.
Ever since I started on my Enzyme Replacement Therapy I’ve been faced with a new question. What do I do with the extra time I’ve been given? Prior to that I always thought I wouldn’t live past 30. I wasn’t worrying too much about the future, saving money, making plans. I never really planned anything a year in advance. Now with the therapy, there’s the possibility that I’ll be alive for the next 20 to 30 years. What do I do now?
I’m trying to work as hard as I can to set aside money for the future and build something for myself. This eats up the time I have now to “live” my life and do the things that really matter. Like what you say? Spend more time with my family; maybe see more of the Philippines or something just as simple as watching the sunset by the bay. I’m not able to do that now because I work nights and I’m asleep half of the day.
I’m thinking I need to find a balance. I need to find a way to look towards the future and still enjoy the present.
I’m trying to make sure that at least once every two weeks or so I do something worthwhile for myself. It could be just to see a movie and my parents or visit my friends and enjoy a good conversation with them.
Time is very valuable. We need to use it wisely. I hope that I can find a good balance between working and enjoying life that neither should suffer greatly. I heard this somewhere but I forget where.
“Work smarter not harder”
Going back to watches. One of the most valuable possessions I have is an old Rolex watch. I don’t consider it valuable because of the price. I consider it valuable because it belonged to one of my favorite people in the world. It belonged to my uncle. Sadly he passed away too early. He succumbed to cancer a few years ago. He was 50 something. He was like a second dad to me. He taught be how to drive. Yes! I still got to experience that. He took us out for ice cream when we were growing up and a whole lot more. He was always there to support me.
When he passed away he left me one of his watches to look after. One day I can hopefully pass it on to one of his sons. They’re both young so he couldn’t leave it with them.
To some watches are simple tools to tell time. To someone like me, it’s a symbol of how valuable time is and the memories that come with it.