It's Time

If there is one commodity we don't have enough of, it's time. It doesn't matter whether we have 90 years or 40 or 10 to our name, we run the balance down regardless of how we spend it. Why waste it on things that don't add value to our lives or others? Why do we sit around and twiddle our thumbs while we wait for some things to happen? Spend time in the prayer closet, bond with your family, cultivate friendships (old and new), make a difference (big or small) everywhere you go, take time to enjoy the beauty around you, see the world, and empty your bucket list.

The older I get, the more I get asked, "When are you getting married? Time is running out!" It is, indeed. It is always running out, whether I'm married or not. But there are so many other things to think of instead of cluttering my brain with thoughts of, "Is he the one?" The list of things below, for example.

#1 Israel

To see my passport stamped with every country's "welcome" seal, my travelling bag worn out from overuse, my mind open to the world's cultures, and my spirit enriched by the people I meet along the way are the stuff my childhood dreams were made of. In some ways, the practicalities of the daily grind have tempered this head-in-the-clouds mentality and the fact that not everyone will. In my heart, I know I would. However, I am not naive so I listed my must-see countries in the event that I don't end up going everywhere; at least I'd have been to the ones that mattered (at least, to me).

Israel is at the top of the list. NK, a friend who was born and raised there, speaks about it with a wistfulness that makes me want to book the next flight out of JFK and go straight to Ein Gedi, Via Dolorosa, the Dead Sea, and to all the places where I can bask in the beauty of that Israeli sunset that she constantly raves about.

To see the places where Jesus walked, taught, laughed, and dined; and to see the path he took to carry the weight of my sins on His back and the hill from where His blood was spilled for my redemption. Would I be able to keep myself together?

#2 Europe

For two straight months, I want to go on a road trip across this vast continent and see the contrasts of the new and the old worlds and how the former still rides on the back of the latter. Stories of European dominance in centuries past, sending expeditions from the known world to unchartered waters, inspired the explorer in me. Wouldn't it be great to imagine Marco Polo as a child while experiencing Venice? Or sitting in a Spanish coffee shop marvelling at how Magellan, a Portuguese exile, convinced a Spanish king to finance his wild idea of conquering the other side of the world?

The stories of a friend who toured several European countries a few years ago have fueled my desire to see them for myself. The beauty he's described, the photos he's posted, and the richness of his experience makes me want to go there as soon as possible.

#3 Seven Wonders

Who wouldn't want to gape at the craftsmanship of the Great Wall of China? Visit the Colosseum and imagine how it sees our current civilization, what it would say about the lives it witnessed and the powers that rose and crumpled since the time it was erected? Or swoon at the crazy, wild, uncensored devotion that drove a man to build a masterpiece for his dead wife? The desire to capture beauty and be surrounded by history never gets old.

#4 Trans-Siberian Railway

The challenge is to travel from Russia to China (or the reverse) nonstop on this train. Long train rides are not my thing. Give me a car and let me drive all night and I will be a happy camper (as long as I'm not sleepy); but cooped up in a train for days without the benefit of a shower sounds like torture. However, if I could do this with a great company of people who share the same passion for adventure and trying new things, it would make the journey easier and make up for the inability to enjoy a leisurely bath.

#5 Bike tour

Physically strenuous things done under the heat of an unforgiving sun is not my thing. So what makes me think that I have the tolerance, much less the endurance, to bike for 7 days without regretting it?

I have recently been building up my ability to bike for hours. And I found that I actually love it! However, I do it early in the morning when the sun is not yet up and only when the weather is no more than 70 degrees F. I would most probably sign up for a Fall/Spring tour then.

#6 Appalachian Trail

This is the longest hiking-only trail in the world. I went with a few friends to tackle 10 miles of it two summers ago and it made me want to explore more.

#7 Olympics

No, I don't have dreams of being in the Olympics but it has always been my desire to watch a live basketball finals game at the most celebrated sporting event in the world. The crowd, the excitement, the pride; I want to feel it all.

#8 Publish

My writing skills leave a lot to be desired. I have attempted to write several books since grade school, but after 2-3 chapters I threw them out because they were horrible. Someday, when I'm more forgiving and not as critical of my own work, maybe I would be able to finally check this off my list.

#9 Missions

Haiti, Burundi, Puerto Rico, anywhere. The need around the world is so great that it would take every human, by the strength of God, to address it. I have so far supported missions from an indirect standpoint, giving resources when I can, and with a lot of prayers. But it's my desire to do some on-the-ground work; whether it be a feeding outreach, a medical operation, or a rebuilding event.

One can't live a life of purpose by simply living for one's self. The unintended consequences of a life utterly surrendered is having a jar that is never empty but is filled pressed down, shaken together, and running over because it draws from a well that never runs dry.

She dreams of leaving the shore.