Embracing Time to Heal Your Wounds and Move Forward
If only we were capable of letting time into our lives when it asks for it. If only we would be brave and let it join us in our fights, our losses, in the good times and also when we feel alone …
Time is our traveling companion, not an enemy, like we sometimes see it. Because when we’re lost, it saves us. When we give it room, it does its job.
Time protects us, heals our wounds and gives us the strength to fly again, as long as we know how to value it and take advantage of it.
When we lose fellow travelers, our dreams are interrupted, or we see ourselves alone on the road of life and we’re constantly in a hurry, we turn a deaf ear to our emotions.
But if we stop for a second and listen, we’ll know everything we need to find relief from our pain.
The island of feelings
“Once upon a time there was an island that was too beautiful to describe, in which all the feelings and values of man lived; Good Humor, Sadness, Wisdom … as well as all the others, including Love.
One day it was announced to the feelings that the island was about to sink, so everyone prepared their boats and left. Only Love remained waiting alone, patiently, until the last moment.
When the island was about to sink, Love decided to ask for help. Wealth passed by near Love in a very luxurious boat and Love said to him: “Wealth … can you take me with you?”
“I cannot because I have a lot of gold and silver in my boat and there is no place for you, I’m sorry” .
Then Love decided to ask Pride, who was going by in a magnificent boat. “Pride I beg you … can you take me with you?”
“I cannot take you Love ,” Pride replied. “Here, everything is perfect, you could ruin my boat and how would my reputation be?”
Then Love said to Sadness, who was approaching him: “Sadness I ask you, let me go with you”.
“No Love ,” Sadness answered. “I am so sad that I need to be alone”.
Then Good Humor passed in front of Love, but he was so happy that he did not hear that he was being called.
Love and time
Suddenly a voice said: “Come, Love, I’ll take you with me.” Love looked to see who spoke to him and saw an old man. He was so happy and full of joy that he forgot to ask the name of the old man.
When he arrived on land, the old man left. Love realized how much he owed him and asked Knowledge: “Knowledge, can you tell me who this person was that helped me?”
“He is the only one capable of making love survive when the pain of loss makes him believe that it is impossible to continue. He is the only one capable of giving love a new chance when it seems to be extinguished.
The one who saved you, Love, is Time, because only Time is able to understand how important Love is in life.”
This story by Jorge Bucay shows us the importance of time. When we believe everything is lost, when we can’t find North anymore and things don’t makes sense… When everything is happening at the same time and we ignore what we really want, time comes and saves us.
Time whispers in our ear that life goes on and when we learn to set down our burdens and embrace it, that’s when our wounds are healed.
The solution takes time
Rushing is never a good idea. Problems take time to be solved. Like in love, because all the energy that we poured into someone needs to find a new destination.
Broken dreams also need time because our brain needs to figure out new plans or solutions. And losses take time because we must learn to place our love elsewhere …
Time is responsible for putting each thought, each emotion and each person in their place. It teaches us that nothing is definitive, that things happens, both good and bad, and that eventually everything gets better.
It helps us grow and see things from another perspective.
That’s the solution: give it time. But not passive time, letting the hands of the clock go round and round. Rather, active time, moving and reflecting.
Where peace reigns and you can create and rethink and find the good but also learn from the bad. T ime to get carried away but keep walking, so that — just like in the story — it can save us when nothing else can.