“I Don’t Spend My Time”
I came across an interesting fellow not so long ago. He was sitting in a wheelchair in the lobby of a nursing home chatting with a lovely lady, sitting on a bench near his side. They were close to the floor-to-ceiling windows watching the snow that was falling on the outside. I greeted them with a “Hello” as I entered the lobby on my way in. We talked about the snow very briefly before I excused myself, going further into the building.
After several minutes of conducting my business, I returned to the lobby of the facility to find them still there, talking and laughing together. I approached them, saying something to the nature of, “Well, it looks like we might get a good one if it keeps this up”. They both responded with “Yeah, it does.” Not being in a hurry, I decided to engage them in a conversation. There was an empty chair adjoining them so I just took it, sitting down.
I was delighted to discover these two had been lifelong friends. They had grown up together in a small town in the upper part of East Tennessee. In fact, they had started school together and had finished in the same graduating class in high school. Whereas, the lady had married soon after graduation and had started with the first of her seven children, the man had gotten drafted as soon as he turned eighteen and went off to the Pacific theater in World War II. The lady had remained in the same community for most of her adult life. He, on the other hand, was severely wounded during a beach landing on a small island, and ended up spending the rest of the war in a hospital in San Diego. Upon recovery, he married one of the nurses that had taken care of him. Following the war, he moved to Kansas and worked in a factory building airplanes and raising his four sons.
As is often the case, life took some interesting twists and turns for both of them. One of the lady’s daughters had married and located near the location of the nursing home. Soon after the lady’s husband died she had relocated from her Tennessee home to be near the daughter, just in case. In a similar manner, the man had retired in Kansas and decided to move closer to a son who lived nearby. Neither of these two had kept in touch through the passing years, and neither knew the other lived in the same community as they now lived.
It so happened they both went to the local post office on the same day in order to mail their monthly bills. He said that as he was leaving the post office he held the door for a lady that was entering. It was raining and the lady’s face was shielded by an umbrella and he could not see it. Being of good manners, as soon as she entered the building she lowered the umbrella, turned to express her thanks to the one holding the door. She said that she recognized him immediately. He, however, did not recognize her until she spoke to him and reminded him who she was.
It goes without saying, they renewed an old friendship. They loved sharing time together, talking, laughing, remembering, teasing, and all of that fun stuff. Sure, they loved each other, but not in a romantic love. She vowed that her deceased husband was the only love she had ever known. In agreement, he stated the same of his departed wife. I made a comment, something about how good it was they had been able to reconnect and spend time together. It was at that moment he turned to me, in all seriousness and said, “I’ll have you know we are not spending our time. We are investing it in building a friendship. People who spend time, may waste time. I do not have any time to waste, so I am not spending it. I am investing my time in the things and people I enjoy. My investment is yielding joy, happiness, pleasure, laughter, and satisfaction.”
We continued our conversation for a few more delightful minutes. As I stood to leave I extended my hands to both of them. Taking their hands and gentling squeezing them I said “Thank you for investing some of your time with me today.”
Heading on towards the place where I live upon leaving the nursing home, I asked myself, “Larry, are you investing or just spending your time?”
By the way, he recovered from his broken hip and soon returned to his home. I saw the two of them a few days ago. They were having a difficult time eating their meal in a restaurant. The problem was, their meal was continuously interrupted by their laughter.