Time is something that nobody can own. And because nobody can own it, it is one of the most precious commodities on earth. It ranks right up there with air, water and food. Think about it. Without air we can survive for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Without water we can survive for up to a couple of weeks depending on climatic conditions. Without food we can survive for about a month.

How long can we last without time? It's a trick question. The answer is - we can't. When your time is up, that's it. So, what would a parcel of time be worth to a dying person? Could you put a price on say, a week, or a month, or a year of time for a person who had developed a sudden terminal illness?

When we are young and healthy we never think about time. Young people feel invincible. Time never enters our minds. Only when we get older or ill do we ever start to concern ourselves with time - principally, how much time we have left.

We all put off things that never seem to get done. For example, painting the gutters, washing the car, weeding the garden and other menial chores. Reason - not enough time!

"I'll get around to it." That's perhaps the greatest procrastinatory saying of all time. I'm not sure that "procrastinatory" is even a word but you know exactly what I mean.

When I was just a boy, somebody showed me a thing called a round "tuit." It was a circular piece of cardboard about the size of an old 45rpm vinyl record. It had the word "tuit" printed hundreds of times around the circumference and spiraling in towards the centre where the letters T-U-I-T were printed in big, bold letters. Finally, I knew what "getting around to it" meant. I have actually seen one!

It was a constant reminder - a bit of a joke that one could give to somebody who always used that excuse. I don't know if they are still available. I hope so. There are so many people who need one.

We truly are just a speck in time. Our lives just seem to flash before us. One day we are born, then we are toddlers, next we are children, then we are teenagers, next we are young adults, then mature adults, then older adults and finally we are in the twilight of our lives.

Time overtakes everybody.

You need to get as much done as you can while you are still capable. Those who are always getting around to doing things always run out of time.

In the context of the past, the present and the future, we live in just a speck - a mere speck in time.

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