Time is a funny thing. On the one hand, we all know realistically that time stops for no-one…not the rich nor the poor, not the sick nor the healthy, not those wishing for more time in the day…not those willing the hours to go by faster.

And then there is “time in our lives”. This particular time will be one that young and old will remember forever. The time of the corona virus (or to be more exact the COVID-19 pandemic). Amidst the social distancing restrictions, holidays cancelled, no sports whatsoever and everyone wary of going out in case they come into contact with an infected person, time seems to have altered on its axis for most of us.

Myself, like most other young working parents I know never seemed to have enough time until now. We were always rushing from school drop off to work to school pick up to dancing/basketball/football (insert kid activity of choice) to a grocery run, dinner making and collapsing into bed. Weekends were probably even busier as there were lawns that needed to be mowed, sporting competitions and many social arrangements. I must admit I do yearn in many ways for those days of what feels like a very long ago yesteryear. For despite the mad rush, our lives were full of so much. Yet at the same time our lives were desperately needing time to stop. And that is the irony of it all, that we almost needed this virus to give ourselves permission to just let time be…and not fill every waking moment. I am probably the most guilty of that. My friends and family are always telling me how much shit I get done. Yes I do, and I will admit that I love it! I love being busy, I love ticking off the to do lists and I love the go go go nature of life.

But now that I have been forced to slow down I feel like I finally have time for things in my life that are of utmost importance yet often get pushed to the bottom of the to do list. Like making this video of moments from our year that was 2019. These are every day and somewhat arbitrary moments that will only mean something to our immediate family. This video includes snippets of footage that never made it into other family movies I created, yet each one second tells an important and memorable story on its own. For this is what time really is all about. It’s the single moment, the only moment that there is at that precise point, never to be repeated and each precious second full of opportunity to relish it and appreciate it and take part in it.

And as the days of the pandemic tick over and we watch with bated breath to see how much the curve is flattening, so the sun keeps rising and setting. And so too the days tick over into the next month and our summer ends and gives way to Autumn. For time will pass just like it always days. And this virus too shall pass. But the moment of here, right now can be appreciated and remembered before it slips by. Whether it be a good or a not-so good moment we can take something from it. For time is our gift….and what we choose to do with this incredible gift makes all the difference in the world.