"There's no Present Like the Time"

     Yesterday my good friend, Kelly, and I went to see a charming movie called, "The Second Best Marigold Hotel".  Near the beginning of the movie one of the English women asks her Indian driver to take her somewhere.  His response is, "There's no present like the time."  You see her in the backseat with a little smile thinking (as is everyone in the audience) how very delightful is this little mistake of turning a phrase backwards.  However, by the end of the movie, one begins to realize that this is exactly what the man meant. 
     To her, the ride in the hired car was simply a way to get from point A to point B.  But for him, it was a gift to be able to spend time with this delightful English lady who seemed to be looking for love everywhere except where it was presented to her.
     Another quote from the movie - delivered by the ever so lovely and wise Dame Judi Dench to the ever so "cup is half empty" character of Dame Maggie Smith - is this one:  "I thought how many new lives can we have?  Then I thought as many as we like."
     Time and life.  Life and time.  Are they the same?  Are they merely perpendicular?  Can you have one without the other?  How can they separate?  How am I having such deep thoughts?  :-)  I am beginning a new chapter in my life as I prepare my house to be sold, as I am getting rid of so many things that I really don't want to keep or move to France or put in storage.  Most all of my actions at this time in my life are to point me towards a new life.  And I welcome that possibility with open arms and open heart. 
     Some of the well-known quotes about time I actually find a little disturbing:
     "Time waits for no man."   "Time marches on."   While those may be true, they make life sound like a military campaign - as if we're waging war on Time or it's waging war on us!  As I sit outside in this beautiful pre-spring weather, I see the promise of life in the form of the green shoots of irises, the purple/green clusters of columbines, the robins in my birdbath.  They don't ponder how time works, they simply show their beauties as part of their new lives.  How many new lives?  As many as they like!  I love Spring. I see nothing militant about how Time asserts itself in the flora and fauna. 
     I decided to do a little research and find quotes about Time that I like and that suit my beliefs on how time and life meld together.  Here are a few that I'd like to share with you:

***"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."  (I really like that one and it makes me think of JRR Tolkien's quote: "Not all who wander are lost."  One of my all time favorites!)
***"It's the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."  (from "The Little Prince")
***"Time spent with a cat is never wasted."  (from Colette)  and I would have to say the same about a dog!
***"To everything there is a season and a Time for every purpose under Heaven."  Ecclesiastes 3:1

     So, how do you see Time?  As merely a way to get from point A to point B?  Or as a gift which we should cherish.
     I will try to remember that as I continue work on my house and my back is aching and my hands are tired and I have plaster and paint all over me!  I shall consider it a gift that I have a house and an able body and a shower and friends who give me encouragement to continue on this journey.
     I was reminded this past week of how my mom's life was a gift.  I received an invitation to a special memorial service to honor Mom.  She was supposed to have died as a teenager from Rheumatic fever.  She lived the next 75 years with a damaged heart and never took any day for granted.  Even in death she wanted her life to be a gift.  She donated her body to the State Anatomical Board for medical research.  Her hope was that by studying her heart doctors could have a better understanding of how the heart works, even when it's so terribly damaged.  The memorial service is for all the families whose loved ones donated bodies so that young medical students can see for themselves just how amazing and precious life is and they can better help the living.
     I thank you so much for the time that you take out of your day to read my blog!  Merci!