Stand Still

No matter how we try to slow it down, time marches deliberately on

It never waits, feels sympathy, or asks for anything in return

It simply does what it has always done

No matter where we find ourselves, we cannot escape it or push it back

It is fair in that it gives no favor to the rich and poor; the strong or the weak

It simply moves us forward like the current of a rushing river

In seasons of great joy and solitude, it feels as if the silence somehow

Grabs time and holds it ransom, takes it up to a lonely hill and shows it why it must slow down

But like the wind, it cannot be harnessed, deceived, or controlled

The standing still is an illusion—it is easier to catch the wind

As when we savor food, fresh air, love, a song, or fine wine, we must savor the time at hand

Let us not try to hold it back, because that is a fruitless waste of a non-renewable commodity

But may we come to an agreement with time, acquiesce and let go of our grip

Knowing that we share time’s common fate with every past and present life on earth

No matter what happens, the times of stillness and solitude, family gatherings, and remembrances of those we lost will make the time seem like it is standing still…and that is all that matters.
 

It will always be the treasure we seek, but it will always be buried under the next tree

It simply guides the hands of the clock in their sweeping motion and leads us on to the next chapter