Page 58 - Dash Inspirations by Linda Ellis

Time Thieves
Remorse and regret, like haunting apparitions, have the capability to hover over your days and nights. They are time thieves that grab hold of your soul and refuse to release their grip. Directly responsible for tears shed and sleepless nights, they slyly appear when we least expect them and before we are fully aware, we have relinquished part of our “now” to their gluttonous grasp. Forgiveness and mercy are their enemies.
Worry is the worst type of time thief because it represents minutes spent in anguish over that which may or may never happen. It’s as though we have written a blank check payable to “Angst” that is cashed over and over again. I’ve often read that worrying is like paying interest on a loan before it ever becomes due.
Frustration is the most compliant time thief because it can be frequently anticipated and most often expected. We know what frustrates us, and yet we allow our reactions to perpetuate the thievery. Frustration is just a culmination of annoyances and aggravations. Tolerance, acceptance, and patience are frustration’s foes. Using all three will eliminate frustration and reclaim its theft of our time.
Hatred is the vilest bandit of all time thieves. We, its victims, suffer losses greater than time. Devoid of rational thought or compassion, it possesses the power to steal our minutes through a hostile takeover of our senses. Of course, to combat hatred, we need to envelop it in love until it dissolves like sugar. When you allow this villain inside, it will steal joyful minutes from you, your friends, and your loved ones and burn them like fuel.
Anger is perhaps the most useless, unproductive time thief. Like the others, it leaves nothing positive or valuable behind. Left unattended, it has the potential to permeate every aspect of our lives. How much damage it inflicts is solely dependent on how many times you let it circle the drain before allowing it to disappear forever. Understanding is anger’s nemesis, consideration its foe.
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Dash Inspirations by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life