Well this clock is and we just found the perfect illustration for it. Actually just ran across it at our new office by accident. I guess someone was in a hurry to get this clock up for some reason and didn’t have any mounting hardware.

Seems like even when I’m off of the job that pays the bills, I’m still dealing with a packed schedule. Of course it’s packed with mostly nice things. Like having dinner with my daughter this evening. Or shooting and lunch with my son on Sunday. And spending some time connecting with my better half again after a series of hectic months.

I think of time a lot now. How much do any of us have. What choices do we make each day in how to spend it. There is no answer till you don’t have any more, except for what you choose to do each day. But if you were to start thinking that time isn’t guaranteed, like after doctors visit, it changes your perspective.

I look back at almost the 6 decades I’ve been around and marvel at the time I’ve wasted. How I haven’t applied myself in things that I now hold important and dear. That I didn’t take on challenges that I now think I should have attempted. That I didn’t spend as much time with my loved ones.

And in simple things like watching the movie Animal House for the hundredth time. And then I started to weigh the enjoyment of simple things like that. How it may have been needed to just unwind from the stresses of life. And I stop beating myself up over it and just think about what to do with all the time a getting old Old Man has.

Like yesterday, I was faced with limited free hours between work for sleep, haircut, a viewing for a friends mother who just passed, and several other pressing errands. So I get up early, shower and bolt out without even a bite to eat. And I walk out to a flat tire. Well being my back isn’t half of what it used to be I had to take my time with the tire change and then get that to the garage for a new tire I’ll have to pick up today. And that isn’t in the schedule either.

Still managed to get a haircut after that, hit the bank and other errands but I missed the 2-4 viewing time I had hoped to attend. Well I did the 6-8pm and I’m so glad I did. It would have been easy to blow off. I felt like hell even with some significant pain relief meds. Because I saw many people who brought many smiles and good times to my life. I got to say goodbye to a Mom who shared their home and yard with me. Not to mention their fine children.

You know, relationships that sometimes go decades without being replenished and then you see people you barely recognize. Sometimes those occasions just get the handshake. But this group gave hugs as almost all my friends do. Three people especially. One of the daughters who I haven’t seen in almost 4 decades. We have kept in touch recently, because we both fight cancer. That always is a special bond. Then I saw her brother who was my best friend in my early school years. We hugged strongly. Then another old friend from the neighborhood. When I extended my hand also because I haven’t reconnected with him in almost 4 decades he says to me “Mike, I’m sorry but a handshake will never do” and gave me a serious hug.

This was just another day to make me realize how special all the time in my life has been and that maybe I didn’t make many wrong decisions on how to spend my time or with who I spent it with. Yeah there are significant mistakes in time management along the way. Working way to hard and for free for people who didn’t appreciate it. Spent a lot of time in my youth drinking way to much. I haven’t spent enough time with my wife and family or friends at times. I spent far too many hours keeping my yard in pristine condition.

I didn’t post yesterday as I had hoped to do. But the decisions I made yesterday from the time I got up, in the time I had, were good ones. Here’s to good friends and a long life.