The Time Turmoil | Fort Bend Focus Magazine

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher

My constant reminder of the value of time – the clock that hung in Mawmaw’s kitchen for as long as I can remember – and now hangs in mine.

Time is a slippery slope, and most times I feel like I’m navigating the treacherous terrain of time in 6” stilettos with both hands full on the edge of a cliff.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when time became so fleeting, but as I look at my calendar today, I can’t believe it’s already September. Weeks, months fly by, and in a heartbeat, the entire year becomes a distant memory.

I have been reminded cruelly in the past few years about this monstrous minute-ticking momentum by the loss of friends. We were there, just yesterday, visiting, having a great time, and then you look up, and in the blink of an eye, they’re gone. The loss is so unbelievable, at times I neglect to remember that dear ones are gone. I literally was at the store the May after Mawmaw went home and was picking out a Mother’s Day gift for her. It took a minute to realize that she now has the ultimate gift of heaven.

As a child I thought time was absolutely the slowest thing on the planet. School years lasted eons. I couldn’t wait for the summers with Mawmaw and Pawpaw, which absolutely flew by. I always thought it unfair that time crept by if I was doing something I didn’t necessarily want to do, but if I was living my best life, time sped by like lightning. Before I knew it, the sun had set on summer, and Mother was there to take me home to start yet another year of scholastic torture.

These days I am in hot pursuit of our most valuable asset. Unfortunately, I can’t make more of it, though I have tried with dogged determination. The best I can come up with is sleep less, which tends to make me cranky and thereby aggravate Mr. Kaminski.

So, I’ve devised a new plan on the time turmoil. It’s not a perfect plan, but it’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it. What this new scheme means is that you may see me less than coiffed out and about. You may see my house not as spic and span as it once was. You may see me in a dress that is in desperate need of an iron. You may see me not quite as perfectly prepared as I once was. But the point is, you will see me, and I will see you – regardless of imperfect circumstances – sharing valuable time.

A couple of weeks ago I put my new scheme in action. Without a second of advance planning, I spent an entire afternoon with a friend I had not seen in a while catching up, running errands, drinking champagne – there’s always champagne. The circumstances of the day were ever-changing, and Cee Cee and I embraced it. There wasn’t an agenda in sight. We just rolled with it for an entire afternoon, and it was the best gift ever.

I just love it when a plan comes together. See y’all next week – on the unswept porch!

Patti Parish-Kaminski