5MM

Five Minute Memoir quip #17

If I were to write my story in five minute increments …

“Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? If so, I can’t imagine why. We’ve all got time enough to cry.”

The song was recorded for the debut album of the band Chicago back in 1969. The youngest of five, and several years behind my older siblings, I grew up listening to some great music. This may be the first non-children’s song I memorized and sang along.

Some thirty years later, it took a trip to the African nation of Namibia—thirteen trips over ten years, actually—to impress upon me a higher view of time, hinted at in those lyrics of long ago. My African friends value the quality of time over its quantity. In their culture, it’s not as important to be punctual or on time as it is to be fully present in time.

As I’ve crossed the half-century mark in my life, one lesson I’d pass on: Slow down. Smell the coffee. Sip the wine. Savor the moment. Who knows, 25 or 6 to 4 might just be one of the most amazing moments of your life. So don’t miss it.