Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Don't Waste my Time

Time.  It's pretty much the basis of everything in our lives, isn't it?  Time to get up. Time to go to work.  Time for dinner.  Bedtime.
For us triathletes....swim time.  bike time.  run time.  Transition (T) time.  PR.  Net time.  Chip time.  Gun time.
Numbers numbers numbers.
I admit that I am just as time obsessed as everyone else.  It takes my 25 minutes to get to work.  85 minutes to run a tempo 10 miler.  61 minutes to bike 20 miles (depending on terrain).  14 minutes to swim half a mile.  6 minutes on my snooze button.
But what does that mean?  Time is money....a very popular expression that many resonate with. But let's take it to a new level....
Last night, the hubster and I watched a movie called "In Time" with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried (I apologize if you've seen it, we're behind the times!  har har).  The concept....in this futuristic society, everyone stops aging when they turn 25.  At this time, a "clock" appears on your arm, giving you one year.  You can "earn" more time by working, you "lose" time by spending it on things.  So, a cab ride costs a week.  A loaf of bread, a few hours.  When you run out of "time", you die.
Interesting.  Other than the fact that you can't tell how "old" anyone is (the 85 year old and 27 year old look the same...who's the grandpa and who's the kid??) you can tell how much time they have by looking at their arm.  The poor live day to day (or hour by hour).  The richest guy?  He has 1000 years on his arm and a million years in the "bank".  Extra time units are administered via bracelet type devices, and are guarded such as we would guard money.
Source
Of course, Justin Timberlake has a Robin Hood complex about him and spends the movie trying to equally distribute wealth.  It's a so so movie and fairly predictable, but the concept is so neat...and probably a little bit too close to home to some people.
In the beginning of the movie, JT finds himself "gifted" with some time from a friend...and was asked..."What would you do with the time?"
His friend gifts him the time with the reminder "Don't waste my time". 
Thought provoking.  How many times has someone said that to you?  Or how many times have you spent doing something that really was a waste of your time?  I suppose if we all knew when we were going to die, it would really change things.  Want to live a year longer?  Don't waste your money on a house you can't afford.  Pass on going out to eat every so often. Want to have another month?  Put in a little extra time at work to get that "bonus".
What if every time you ate a dozen cookies, you lost a week on your "time clock"?
Hmmm.
No, it'll never be that black and white for us (I would presume so, anyways...you never know!) but it really gives time a new meaning.  We tend to think we have all the time in the world...but we don't.  Invest it wisely.  That's my new goal :-)
Have you seen the movie?  Any thoughts/relevance to your world?

1 comment:

  1. Very thought provoking, my new YOUNG (relative, I realize), yet wise, friend. Reminds us that age is a state of mind, to a point. And what better way to invest time than to spend it doing what you love to do, with those you love? Great writing, Rae!

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