In the same amount of time it takes to create something beautiful, something can be destroyed. Time has the power to create, but time also has the power to take. Time has the power to change: to change seasons, to change trends, to change people. The girl who was your best friend since elementary school might stop talking to you over time. The boy you now love may no longer love you back in time. Time has the power to change. I have always been afraid of time. From the second I entered this world, I have been its victim. Time existed before me, and time will persist after me. One day, my time will end. Time is not infinite. Time is a privilege, and it is one I will not have forever.
Open your eyes and you will see time’s power. Look at the leaves on the ground. Time has made them fall. Look at the old man walking his dog. Time has aged him. Look at a baby in a stroller for whom the gift of time has just been granted. Time affects us all. We are all its victim. It is more powerful than any of us.
I fear time, but I cannot do anything to stop it. One day my time will come. One day everyone’s time will come. I am starting to learn that rather than fear time, I must embrace it. I must make every second count. Yes time takes, but time also gives wonderful gifts. Time has given me siblings. Time has given me wisdom, strength, and resilience. Time has given me identity. It is with each passing day that I learn more about myself and others. Time has allowed me to meet new people. It has taken friends from me, but it has given me friends I cannot imagine my life without. Time has made my hair grow longer, but it has made my patience grow shorter. Time is a give and take. I have learned that you have to focus on the “gives” to truly appreciate time.
I fear the day that I realize my time is running out. I know time is finite. I know right now time seems to be the force expanding my knowledge and giving me valuable experiences. Time is still on my side. But before long, time will be the force behind my wrinkles and my old age. Time will mean something completely different to me. I fear time now, but in time, I may not. Time may change my opinion of time. Anything is possible.
I cannot think of a force more powerful than time, because while we can avoid most things in life, time is not one of them. I guess all I can do right now is appreciate time. See it for what it is. Seize every second of every day. As a college student, it is so easy to lose track of time. It is so easy to live each day constantly thinking about what assignment is due or what meeting you have to attend. I am challenging myself to stop and be in the present. I fear time, but I am not going to let it pass me by. Yes -- time will ultimately take, but right now I want to live for all that time has to give.
