State of Affairs

It’s about to be June.

Can you believe it? I can’t. Where did this month go?

My eldest niece just celebrated her first prom, my youngest niece just graduated from prekindergarten. Where did the time go?

May has 31 days. So, if one day is 24 hours. One hour is sixty minutes. One minute is 60 seconds. This means that May has 2,678,400 seconds – that’s two million, six hundred seventy-eight thousand, four hundred seconds. I’ve spent mine mostly working and travelling, it’s been fun but super busy. How have you spent yours?

It’s easy to say, “where did the time go?” and stare back at yourself in disbelief. An hour seems like it can last forever, but it doesn’t. Perhaps because I’m so busy these days, but an hour really doesn’t last that long. I’m at a point where, if I didn’t prepare for the current hour at least one whole hour ago, I’m behind. Being a responsible adult is a strange feeling, ha ha.

I’ve come to the point where I have two dryerase board calendars, one for the current month and one for the next month. I’m even thinking about getting a third calendar because my time is precious and can be occupied easily. I don’t want to spend my limited time – because even though I have millions of seconds, it isn’t enough – doing things that aren’t beneficial to my well-being and my health.

Time flies by, quicker and quicker. The war in Ukraine has been been waging for one year and two months now. That is 36,806,400 seconds. In that time, the world turned dangerously close to being a haven for autocrats. But, thanks to a collective American desire to support democracy and freedom, an idea shared by American allies who have begun to share their weight of responsibility to safeguard our collective freedoms. Nearly 37 million seconds of pain, suffering, and anxiety. But Ukraine did not spend that time wastefully, every second was used defending their territory and pushing back against the Russian forces that violated their security and sovereignty and threatened the peace and comfort of Democracy and Freedom. Thanks to the Heroes of Ukraine spending their time defending Freedom, the tides of conflict are changing and Russia is in hot water as domestic disruptions and the threat of civil war looms over the country. A new tricolor flag has begun to circulate in Russia among separatist groups calling themselves the Freedom of Russia Legion that replaces the post-Soviet red, blue, and white tricolor with a white, blue, and white tricolor. The tides of fate are changing, and authoritarianism is back on the ropes. That is time is well spent.

As I look back on the time and see where I am today, I can honestly say that I’m pleased. It’s been – at least broadly – spent well, efficiently, and productively. I look forward to the future, because I know that Freedom is winning where it is most hotly contested, and that my ability to enjoy Liberty is safeguarded. The future is not yet written, but things are looking up. Be ready to spend your time well, efficiently, and productively. A positive future is ours to grab, but we can only attain it if we prepare and plan ahead.