Eternal

 Some say that time is eternal but I'm not so sure it's that simple. Things end, people die, empires crumble, even planets die which will one day occur with the planet we live on as well. Time may keep going, it just might, but I don't think any of us will be around to answer that question or see if time is truly eternal, and I don't think anyone alive now can come up with a suitable answer either. One thing I know for sure is that once time is lost it is forever gone, the time we waste is dead time and that time that lays ahead of us is a gift that should be cherished and respected. Time can be a shining light burning brightly in our lives and hold so many good things and time can cast shadows that darken our lives forever; each of those, which a person ends up with, depends upon themselves, circumstance and happenstance - we can shape the future in the present, but we can never control it. This week, a man at work spent his last working day with the company. He retired at the age of 66 years old and will never have to go to a job he doesn't want to go to. I think it's a good thing and was glad to hear that he has so many things planned; I hope he enjoys those things as much as he seems to have enjoyed his life to date. Something he said to me before he left struck a chord with me. He said, "we all want more time and have grand ideas of what we will do with it, but we all use time poorly until it is too late." I like that line because it's a reminder that time is not endless and that our lives are not eternal; it's important to remember that and to find time when we can and use it wisely.