Time and Money

I write this blog simply as a notebook to record stuff I see as I travel along the path of my human existence in 2007 in Miami, Florida, USA, North America, Northern Hemisphere, The Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe. (Only James Joyce fans will get that reference). I'm incompetent to deal in profundities.

Still, as I was walking this dawn, I started thinking about the nature of time.

I met wifey in September of 1983, when we were 22 and 26. At the time, my dear friend and roommate Eric had a very long time girlfriend Dana. They ended up marrying. Eric and Dana had been together FOREVER, it seemed, while wifey and I were the new couple. It turns out, from the vantage point 24 years down the road, that Eric and Dana had met in February, 1983, only 7 months before. To twenty somethings, the 7 months may as well have been a decade.

I passed our neighborhood's historic house, the Warwick Estate. It was built in 1926. A few years ago, when I showed it to my mother, she laughed: she was 6 years older than the home we all considered historically significant. My mom's 87. She's had a lot of time, and yet savors every moment. She travels through life happily, and with a naive sense of wonder. She's never bored, she never wastes time.

In 1989 she had a transient ischemic attack. We thought it was the end of her. I rushed to the hospital, as the attending doctor was doing a neurological exam. It's funny --to neurologists, orientation as to time is a critical diagnostic tool. He asked my mother who was president. Looking lost, she said "Roosevelt." She had lost her place in time. Fortunately, she recovered, and now is well aware that the president is that "dumb bastard" George Bush.

At my firm, my partner is debating with me giving up some of the responsibility of our cases to a new office roommate. His reluctance, is "giving away too much money." I'm all for the move. My time is far more precious to me than the attorney fee. I 've spent the last 40 years or so either studying or working to make money. It's lost its luster.

Of course, if I hadn't made the money, could I afford to sit here on a Friday morning typing these thoughts? MAybe so. I know plenty of people who have a LOT of free time, and making money doesn't even occur to them. I can't escape my Jewish work ethic, though, and this ingrained thought that I have to provide generously for my family before I'm allowed the luxury of goofing off.

My neighbor Irv stopped to chat with me this morning. He's close to 80, I think, with a young hottie wife about 70 or so. They're always on the way to their country club to play golf, or to an arena or stadium to watch Hurricane sports. I asked Irv if he's going to the UM/GA Tech game tomorrow. He answered: "I ALWAYS make the time to go to the Orange Bowl."

I've read several deep philosophical books on the nature of time. I always have to read these slowly, since they play tricks on my less than genius brain.

As for this morning, I may just brew another cup of coffee, and sit outside by my pond. Just passing, and enjoying, the time.