On most days, I view time as my enemy: everything I do is a race against it, an effort to slow it down or reverse it.
That's most days. But not today.
Today, I want to slow down. I don't want to fight the ticks of the clock's hands. I don't want to try to paddle against its current.
Sometimes, we work and fight and try and work some more for whatever it is we want in life, but the last ingredient we need to bring it all together is time.
This is for those of you who have done all you can do, or are doing all you can do, and now need to let time do its thing.
Some of us, we need time to heal...
...time for our bones to set.
...time for our tissue and tendons to thread back together.
...time for our ears to stop ringing from words fired from the chamber of a gun.
...time for our hearts to find the rhythm of love and trust again.
Some of us, we need time to forget...
....forget the shame that clings to our skin like August humidity.
...forget our old ways, our little destructive habits.
...forget the hands, the lips that bruised us.
...forget the hands, the lips that once loved us.
...forget the hot, burning sting of our disappointments.
Some of us, we need time to remember...
...remember what it's like to be free from our addictions, our regrets, our darkness.
...remember what makes us come alive.
...remember the notes and the melodies of the songs that make us sing.
...remember what's worth the risk and the sacrifice.
...remember why we loved in the first place.
Some of us, how we need the time...
...time to outrun our fears.
...time to find our way out of the fog.
...time to stumble into hope again.
...time to dust off our dreams.
...time for the stars to come into focus.
...time for the sun to finally show its face again.
Let's allow time to do the work we can't do, to carry us beyond our limitations, expand our near-sightedness, and erode our stubborn vices.
Time doesn't always have to be our enemy. Time can heal, and time can reveal.
Time is on our side.
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Feature photo ©2010 Sean MacEntee | Flickr