I have begun to realize that one of the most precious commodities we have is time.
Think about it. Our time on the planet is finite. Time in a day is only 24 hours. As I get older each year seems to pass more and more quickly.
I spoke just recently to someone I haven’t heard from in a number of years and when I asked him how old his beloved pup is now, he told me 14. I said how on earth did that happen? I think she’s only 8.
He said, no. She’s 14 now and time has certainly gotten away from him, too.
My dad has a theory about this phenomenon with time. He actually divided up years of your life into percentages. For instance, when we’re in, say, third grade, a year of your life is a much bigger percentage than when you’re, say, 51. That’s part of the reason it sometimes feels like years fly by in the blink of an eye.
When you really look at the big picture and understand that we all, each of us, have a limited amount of time, you being to realize how important it is to use the time you’ve got wisely.
As a kid, the concept of time wasn’t as important. You lived for weekends and summer vacations and playing with the fireflies in the evenings and riding bikes up and down the road until you could barely see the handlebars in front of your face because it was so dark outside.
And that’s how it should be for kids. Childhood should be carefree innocence – as much as it can be.
As an adult, though, the perspective changes. I do not want to look back on my life when I’m older and think about wasting any second of the time I was given.
As a result, when I look around the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and realize how many people give their time to help our animals, I’m beyond humbled.
We have dog walkers and cat socializers who come out here to spend time with our animals and give them exercise and love and attention. Some of our volunteers are here so frequently, the animals recognize them by face and voice.
It’s incredibly touching to witness.
We have people who give their time to help us with fundraisers. I witness people helping to put up canopies at an offsite adoption event and talking with people about the animals available for adoption and I think to myself, wow. They gave up a Saturday afternoon just to help make sure our babies could maybe find a home.
That’s a powerful gift.
We have greeters who help us each day we are open to the public. They sit up front and when visitors want to see our adoptable animals, the greeters show them around and help them learn the “lay of the land,” so to speak.
We have people who help us with our annual Dog Walk and Christmas Open House and Cabin Fever Music Fest.
I sit on the last Tuesday of each month with an incredibly dedicated group of people who help shape policy for this organization. Our board of directors are all volunteers and they give of themselves and their time because they love animals.
When you truly realize how many people give the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter such a precious commodity, it really is amazing.
Time is a sacred jewel each one of us has to treasure. For those who give our four-legged babies some of their riches, I say a heartfelt, incredibly sincere thank you.
Your gift means so much to all of us.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the Publications and Promotions Consultant for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
