Time is Money

There is something to be said for living by the clock. It defines a lot about your life, like where you are going, what time you have to be there and how much of your day will be spent there. Most of us live almost our entire lives punching that time clock whether it’s an old fashioned one at work, an alarm set on our phone or just memorized in our minds. How many times have we been motivated by those three little words, It’s about time?

Maybe like me, some of you feel like you have spent a lot of your existence in a time crunch. One of the first things we learn about when beginning school is the due date. All of a sudden homework and projects are due at a certain time. This lesson follows us all the way through our lives. Bills are due, taxes are due even babies have a due date. We don’t want to see those dreaded red words, past due, stamped on an envelope. It almost always means there is a penalty attached in the form of a hefty little late fee. Ugh!

I thought it would be interesting to look up the antonym for time crunch so as one does these days, I googled it. There was a short list and at the very bottom was the one that made me smile. It simply said retirement. Since I’ve been retired the words it’s about time are replaced with there’s plenty of time. Recently in a conversation with my daughter I said jokingly, no one seems to know I’m poor. Her reply was, mom you are not poor. I laughed and said, I think I am at least according to the world’s definition.

We’ve often heard it said, time is money. Usually it’s quoted in the context of not wasting our time, instead using it to make money or using it because it’s limited. Either way all would agree time is a valuable resource. How can you put a price tag on time spent with loved ones, or doing that thing that brings you great joy, or maybe not doing anything at all? Maybe you are living on a limited income in retirement but remember this. Sometimes a limited income means unlimited time or the lack of crunch time simply means retirement.

When you own your time, you are truly rich. Go ahead and use it however you wish. No one is looking!