The Gift of Time

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Time. How often have we reached for the snooze bar once, twice, or multiple times when needing five more minutes of sleep? Time. We wake up 2 hours early, feeling on top of the world, homework is complete, ready for today’s exam, only to arrive on campus and lose an hour waiting for the next open parking spot. Time. We know we need to attend that observation for lab, have to work overtime to pay for tuition, and fine tune the two reports due this week. Time. Some of us are caring for ailing and medically fragile loved ones, or dropping off kids to the babysitter before next class, and haven’t had a good night’s sleep in ages. Time.
Time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, yet with so many vast responsibilities and commitments take time for self-care and moments of reflection. I know many of you are thinking right about now, “Who has time to take a moment to relax and reflect, I’ve got 100 things to do today?”  To which I would say from a place of compassion and care to fellow peer, “You can’t afford not to take a moment for yourself daily. Your loved ones are depending on you.” 
Time is indeed such a precious commodity. Each of us have the power to use our time to lead healthy, well-balanced lives to accomplish our goals in life both professionally and personally.  Let’s face it, there are many stressors in our lives that we have control over and others we do not. I recall caring for my terminally ill mother in her last year of battling cancer, raising three teenagers across time zones with my husband working in Latin America/US, and I felt like I was on a spinning wheel that never stopped. What I learned from those moments is the strength that I had within in me to persist and be committed to caring for not only my family and myself, but learning the value of living a more well balanced life.  Sitting bedside in and out of pediatric oncology hospitals with my then 5 year-old son facing bone cancer, chemo, comas, and the long road to rehabilitation of amputation taught me the power of endurance to overcome. It was the longest year of our lives, but it gave me the value and gift of time to see what really matters most to me in life both personally and professionally. Twenty years later, I smile every time I drop him off at work as he tends to his patients in ER for a local hospital following his completion of his degree at CSUF.  
Helping others and contributing to our community is what I value and apply my time in that area. There is no greater calling than to use my time effectively and efficiently to serve others. Perhaps your goals and pursuits are different and that’s wonderful, because we are all unique and bring different contributions, skills, and talents to one another. Whatever the calling, it is needed in our world and the world is waiting for you to share your talents and giftings. 
Every time I walk into class on campus, and every shift I work alongside many of you, I smile knowing that timing is everything. Even on those most stressful days, I take a moment to help someone, because I may never have that moment again. When we use our time to help and care for one another, it has a profound way of helping us as individuals. Taking time out to do for others, has its reward in helping us discover more about ourselves. Mindful moments in listening and seeing to understand another’s viewpoint helps us to mutually grow and impact others. 
Like all of us, we have a journey that is unique, and we are here to better ourselves through education. Whatever the struggle, whatever the goal, it will all be worth the sacrifice and TIME invested into ourselves, one another, and with our goals towards completion of higher education. Take time or even just a moment to look back at how far you have come to get you where you are and congratulate yourself for not giving up. On those days where you feel like giving up, just remember and refocus on why you started. You are almost to the finish line. One day at a time. Take time to relish in the sunshine, because it gets us through the storms of life that are guaranteed to come. You and I have the same 24 hours in a day. How we choose to live those hours, are purely a series of choices.  

By Renee Perez-Mora, FCC Student, WRC Tutor

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