Life's Hourglass

S. A. Gibbs
Mar 27, 2017
2 min read

As I get older, I am becoming stingier with my time. Time is, after all, a precious commodity and is growing in value as the sands ride the force of gravitation to the bottom of the hourglass, a reminder of my mortality. So, I accelerate my search for moments of inspiration, knowledge and ideas. This is the journey of a man’s search for life’s purpose. This is not a fatalistic journey, travels fueled by angst and immanent demise. No, this is an optimistic journey driven by the promise of continual growth and happiness. What’s the endgame? Is there an endgame? Does it really matter?

I pack each and every day with tasks, rungs on my ladder to somewhere else. I read, write, think, plan and contemplate. At times it feels as if I’m chasing my tail, an outlier in a sea of men that are more predictable, settled and even possibly more satisfied. Then I push the reset button and become recharged in my journey, enjoying my apparent novelty, an unwillingness to conform. I’m getting better at not caring about what others think, willing to share my thoughts and feelings about my journey. Yes, there are some who squint their eyes, struggling to understand what I am saying. There are others who fake understanding, their eyes and expressions exposing their true feelings. I don’t blame them for this journey is my journey, unique among seven billion people. This is why my journey can be a lonely journey.

In a world where the negative noise is at a fever pitch, it’s difficult to create the space for my internal journey. I wonder how many men feel what I do. I refuse to believe that my journey is one of a billion. I believe that there are many men in a similar place in their lives and would welcome a conversation among likeminded. We may have different destinations but the motivations of our respective journeys are probably very similar. Sure, the hourglass may be running low but who says I can’t turn it over? That’s what this journey is all about, not a rebellion against getting older, rather a revolt against getting stale and irrelevant.

against getting older, rather a revolt against getting stale and irrelevant.