Thank-you For Your Time

The other day a customer thanked me for my time.  I had prepared a juice for him.  And upon handing it to him, he said, "Thank-you for your time."  I am unable to recall an incident in which this has been said to me.  Surely there has been one.  But in that particular moment, I was touched by this simple statement and the magnitude of its meaning.

Time is a precious commodity.  It seems we never have enough of it.  "Time is money." That's because we spend time exerting our energy and converting that to cash.  Time plus energy equals money.  The dictates of our economy impose a monetary value on our time.  Some people are paid more money than others for their time and energy.  But in my mind, time and energy are relative to the task at hand.

A farmer plowing his field may toil harder physically than a lawyer, but the lawyer is rewarded more money than a farmer.  And a farmer feeds us.  A teacher works long and hard to care for our children, to educate the future leaders of our society.  Yet she is paid less than a Hollywood movie star whose job it is to entertain us.

When a person says, "Thank-you for your time," they seem to have an innate understanding of the time/labor ratio.  They recognize that you have just spent a bit of your precious resources, your energy and time, into serving them.  You gave them a piece of your life.  I think thanking someone for their time is about the best reward anyone can be given for their hard work.  Especially someone who is underpaid.

I spent two days at my friend's house recording a song.  He is such an amazingly generous being.  He is so supportive, so creative and so skilled that it is seriously an honor to spend time with him.  I am greatly humbled by his gift of time.  There is nothing greater than that.  Nothing.

I think I would like my epitaph to read "Thank-you For Your Time."  It would have the duel meaning of  "Thank-you, Mother Earth, for the time you have given me to live, grow and explore Life," and "Thank-you, dear friends, for giving me your time, your love, your support, across the years."

At this point, I will end my missive by saying: Thank-you for your time spent reading this.  If I touch a handful of people with my writing, I am honored.