Ever used an old-fashioned egg timer? You know the simple hourglass-shaped kind, with sand that flows from top to bottom until “time’s up”? It could be a ten-minute timer, a thirty-minute timer, or a true 60-minute hourglass.
The sand never seems to be moving very quickly until there’s almost none left in the top. Suddenly, those last few grains disappear through the narrow opening and it’s time to flip it over and start again.
The time it takes for the sand to get to the bottom isn’t what’s important. It’s all about getting the sand back to the top so you can start again.
Like Sands Through the Hourglass…
What if you looked at your relationships like the grains of sand in that timer? Think of every meaningful touch as moving one of those grains back to the top, where it begins its slow journey again.
Of course, some grains might get moved back to the top more often than others. Those are your most important grains of sand.
Chat on the phone? Back to the top.
Text message or email here and there? Move it on up.
Meaningful conversation at the grocery store, a kid’s ball game, or the back of church? Reset the clock.
Even a handwritten note, newsletter in the mail, or well-timed social media touch can return that “relationship” back to the top.
Other grains may make the entire journey before you have a reason to flip the timer and start again.
That’s okay.
Not every relationship requires the same amount of attention or the same frequency of connection.
But here’s the important part:
Don’t let the people who matter most sit at the bottom of the hourglass.
Find a reason to reach out. Make the call. Send the text. Write the note. Stop and have the conversation.
Then move that grain back to the top.
Because time keeps moving.
And so does the sand.
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