My job as a flight attendant has had some interesting up and downs from the time I first entered training until the present time. One thing I can say this new career has taught me is patience and the paranoid sense of time….LOL. Good grief of how paranoid of time I have become. In our industry, you can’t be late. Well, you can but boy do you cause a ripple effect that is none like any other. The other day I was off work and tried to sleep in. I thought I had missed work so I shot up out of the bed like a ninja!! I had to take a moment to calm myself back down and realize it was my day off. It happens and I am sure I am not the only crew member who has done that. I have officially been conditioned to be aware of time. It has never been my best attribute.
When I think of time, I think of how do we actually spend it? Are we using it to our advantage or are we abusing it more than we realize? Do we spend it with the people we love and care about or do we spend it trying to force ourselves in others lives? Are we watching the clock tick by having a scheduler filled with activities or are we really enjoying life? The most outstanding characteristic about time is that it waits for no one.
Today I had the pleasure of having a passenger on my plane who was the young age of 94 years!! He was such a sweet but yet spit fire of a gentleman. He was able to board the aircraft first so I helped him to his seat, put away his bag, took his coat and stored his walking cane for him. As he sat down in the seat, he grabbed my shoulder and said ‘Honey, you sure do smell good!’ Hahaha it was the most awkward but yet nice complement I have received on this job. In the hour and half that this gentleman was on my flight, I learned what a very productive and amazing life he has lived. He was once a model for Pan Am advertisements, he served in the Armed Forces under the Air Force branch, he fell in love with his wife the first time he seen her, they had kids and now he has grandkids as well as great grandkids. He is an avid sports fan who once was a partner for a semi pro football team and he recently won a contest for the most distinguished knees in a kilt!!! He had me and the young guy sitting next to him very informed and entertained. What a hoot this fella was and what a blessing to be able to hear him tell is life stories.
When I had to return to my duties, it was on my mind about how we spend our time. It made me really analyze how I spend my time and when I am 94 years old, can I or will I look back on my life and share with others the excitement, joy and proud ness that Mr, Jay shared with me? I think if you had of asked me this a couple of years ago, I would have folded and had no answer. Today, I do have an answer and that would be ‘Well, heck yeah baby!! Sit down and let me tell you a story or two! As a matter of fact, grab a notebook and pen…you’re probably going to want to take notes”. 🙂 Through all of life’s experiences I have gained so much respect for time. Yes, we get in a hurry and it seems we are so programmed to be somewhere and everything has a deadline. Each time I have visited Europe and spent time with my friends who are natives of the countries there, I am so impressed by how relaxed they are. Only when I come back to America did I realize what a rat race we really do run. How boring and sad that is.
For me, I have always been a free spirit. I actually have mixed feelings about time. In a perfect world, we could just go and move with the flow of things but since we all have a different flow in life, what a mess that just might be. Oh good Lord could you imagine the chaos?! So, I guess that having time and schedules must be implemented. The only place I have been that has no real sense of time nor do they have clocks on the walls is Vegas and if you have ever been to Vegas, you will understand why.
Time has changed me a lot and it has made me a stronger person. I guess I could say time and situations have made me who I am. I know those who have served missions with the LDS church who say their time on a mission changed them. I also know people who have spent time being a drug addict or an alcoholic for a long period in their lives and naturally of course, time changed them for the better. One of my friends was in an abusive relationship like me and just like me, it took time to get out of that situation but it took even more time to heal from it. Time, time, time, time, time…….It really is all about the time. My momma use to tell me I would show up late for my own funeral…hahaha. I did not know how to be on time if my life depended on it but as I have gotten older, I have become more aware.
In the midst of all this time-consuming life we live, how much do we take out of our day to give thanks to God for His time? I am just as guilty as anyone and I probably don’t take enough of it as I probably should. I see my kids growing up so fast and I regret not being more hands on with them or not spending more quality time with them as they have been pressing through their own rat race. When we are all together, it is so nice to just sit still and do nothing. For them that is called boredom but for me, I call it family bonding! As we tread through life I hope that we all take the moments we have and we cherish them with every word, with every breath, with every tear and with every single ounce of love we have. I know that is often easier said than done but when I think back about having the conversation with Mr. Ray today, I am so thankful to have met him….even if for a little while for it made me stop and think about a lot of things. You see, this is one reason why I do what I do. I know there is a purpose for me up there in that sky and if it means to be there so that others can touch my life and I touch theirs then I am okay with that. I see so many people from day-to-day and I learn so much just by observing. Today, it was a lesson that even at the age of 94 years old, you can still embrace time. No matter what your age, gender, race or religion it is something we all have in common and that is our life clock. We are here to serve a purpose, to love, to be kind and to be a light unto the world.
How are you going to let your light shine? How will you use your time? I don’t want to waste my time…literally. I want to spend mine loving, enjoying life, embracing the moments, holding my kids close and anything else that makes the simple pleasures great! Enjoy the time!! Start with it right now and don’t let anyone take your shine away because when you shine, it means you have enjoyed your time!
Love, Hugs & Smiles 🙂
The Sun Will Set To Rise 