The wisdom to spend your time wisely

And to seek it without reservation or apology

Happy Father’s Day to all you men out there who are lucky enough to be dads!

I found this little beauty thriving in a gap on a curb in downtown Lincoln on Friday evening. Several folks were gathering at the Zoo Bar to begin our celebration of Ron Cerny’s birthday. I was the DD for a couple of folks so I had traipsed ahead to retrieve my car and noticed this Zebrina Mallow as I stepped of the curb. How did it get here and if it grows this hardy between two concrete slabs on the busiest street in downtown Lincoln why don’t I have some growing in my sun garden? So I looked them up and found that this really stunning specimen of hollyhock reseeds so profusely that my sun garden might soon be overrun with them. I am still deciding if this is a good or a bad thing.

Their determination to grow wherever a tiny space was available to them put me in mind of a recent conversation I had with my good friend José Soto. We were musing about time and how to best spend it now are free to do pretty much whatever we want; about the things that are important to us.

Of course, our children were at the forefront of that exchange. He and Peggy have just become grandparents for the fourth time and they are, expectedly, over the moon! Their elation is palpable. And I share their joy.

We discussed everything from the ability to travel to see our grown children to the comfort of sitting in our own homes, as well as having the time to contemplate such things. We talked about how special it is to spend time with our good friends and how important it is to do just that! And we touched on the beloved friends we have lost and the importance of the memories we have of them, the love and the shared experiences.

His final thought was concise and very simple, “I want to spend time with the people I love and who love me.” His delivery was matter of fact and unapologetic. And he was right, of course. That is exactly what we all want, so we have to make sure that that is what we do. Call friends. Set up dinner plans. Write letters. Make time for people who are important to you. Determine to share yourself with the people who love you. Love them back.

Of course, I am directing all of these suggestions toward myself. I am good at staying a step away. Jimmy was good at making that initial call. I always admired him for that. I need to get better at it without reservation or apology.