The Dash in between.. 1967-?

March 20, 2026

A hundred years from now, or 876,000 hours rounding for leap years. You and I will almost certainly be gone. That is not a threat or a tragedy—it is simply one of the most ordinary truths of being human. Time will keep moving without asking our permission, and the world will continue its quiet work of forgetting.

None of our possessions come with us. The businesses you built, the objects you protected, polished, and worried over—one day they will be someone else’s clutter, or they will simply decay into nothing. The things you saved for, compared, insured, and stressed about lose their meaning the moment you do. Your home will belong to someone else, or it will be torn down, rebuilt into something else, or reclaimed by weeds, wind, and weather. Even the walls that held your laughter, your arguments, and your secrets will not remember your name. Some friends and family may remain, but the conversation will shift well beyond your existence.

Every generation runs the same basic pattern. From the earliest pages of history to the Roman Empire, to the founding of our nation—from Baby Boomers and now to Gen Alpha—what people chase, covet and celebrate will, in time, follow the same path toward being replaced and forgotten.

I am not saying this to make you feel small. I am saying it because it can make you free.

Because if this is true—and I believe it is—then so much of what consumes our worry is not worth the precious hours we have been given. The anxiety about being impressive enough, successful enough, secure enough, admired enough. The fear of falling behind an invisible standard that keeps shifting. The belief that our worth is measured by what we accumulate or how loudly the world applauds. None of that survives a century. Influence fades. Monuments crumble. Eventually, it all ends.

What can survive—often in quieter, less visible ways—is how you lived. The moments you showed up when it was inconvenient. The kindness you extended when no one was watching. The conversation that shaped a mind or bought comfort and carried into another generation. The courage it took to tell the truth—to stand on principles, convictions, and integrity instead of greed, being popular. The ability to forgive, to love deeply despite fear and the risk of loss. The faith that anchored you when outcomes were uncertain and control was an illusion.

Faith, does not require your name to be remembered. Purpose does not demand permanence. A meaningful life is not built to last forever; it is, built to be faithful with the time you are given.

So, start living differently. If you identify as Christian—as I do—then you know what I mean: following the teachings of Jesus Christ, holding to the belief of Holy Trinity, and salvation of God’s free gift, received by faith rather than earned through good works. Whether you believe as I do, is an individual’s choice. If you do not, you can still live from a moral core of positive values or an alternative belief that guides with: do no harm, and treat others the way you want to be treated. In my case this journey took almost 306,000 hours to understand. That was unacceptable, I had to change my outlook.

I, have lived 516,840 hours give or take a bit. When compared to 876,000, I have used over half. By most standards of discussions with people my age this part of the life clock is when life’s reflections come into focus. Why did I do all those dumb things? What did I get from that effort. When the calculations were added and numbers tallied I didn’t like the result. What does my daughter think about the 157,680 hours that I was legally obligated to commit to her upbringing. Was most of it good? Only time will tell with the balance in my account. Additionally, with having grandchildren a different clock is now ticking exponentially faster.

My advice is worth as much as this writing which is nothing. This is my therapy, my solace. Getting the thoughts out while the time balance slowly or more recently seems to speed up. Living with the humility of someone who knows they are temporary—and the confidence of someone who knows their life still matters. Spending less energy protecting in this case my image, my possessions and more energy becoming a person of integrity, a human with value and participant of what is in my life rather than what is not.

We all should let go of the noise that insists everything is urgent, and listen instead for what is eternal. Let go your sins of the past especially if your saved. They have been paid. Let go of the hate and hurt. In my experience it consumes time with no value or product. Measure your days not by productivity alone, but by alignment: are you living in a way that matches what you genuinely believe?

Life in my opinion is not about stellar performance with mountains of accolades it is about the management of time. Are you burning through your hours, minutes chasing tangible possessions, fame, notoriety, exposure, and shallow approval—while the meaningful deeper connections slip by? A question we all must answer aloud or quietly. We all have choices. The clock is ticking.

See you soon..