The Time of My Life

As a verbophile, a person who loves words, I often enjoy thinking about words or expressions with multiple meanings.  There are some expressions that change in meaning as I get older.

The time of my life is a phrase that I think a lot about now. I am in the time of my life where I can look back on phases that are completed, and am fortunate that I can make choices in doing things I like. But the other meaning of the phrase, as conveyed in having the time of my life, has become more important to me. I like that meaning and it is one that I now seek out. I want to enjoy myself. As my readers know, this includes things like writing essays, making contact with family and friends, reading a good book, or going to a museum. And planning other pleasures that I would like.

Another expression that has evolved in meaning for me is free time. When I was younger and busy with work and children, having  free time was sought after- it was time when I wasn’t required to be or do anything in particular. Relaxing with family was often what I would do at those times and I looked forward to having more of it later in life. Now I realize that my free time is not actually free, it is spent when I use it, and its availability diminishes.

I’ll do it later is a phrase with multiple meanings, especially the “later” part. And I think there are gender differences.  When I decide to do something later, if it’s a household task (like doing dishes) I usually do it within the hour, if it’s calling back a friend it might be within a day or two, but if it’s cleaning out a closet—it’s usually within a month, or maybe months later. When I ask my husband to do some household task—like throw out garbage, make the bed, etc.— and he says OK, I’ll do it later, I have learned that this is not likely to be within the next hour; it may be any time later that day or even the next day (in which case the request to make the bed becomes moot).I know the word has even broader meanings for others too; I had a girlfriend who enjoyed herself on a blind date that ended with his declaration that I will call you later. After a year had passed with no efforts at contact… I guess he really meant much much later, or maybe never.  

Let’s meet for coffee is another phrase with meanings that have changed over time. When I was working, it usually meant having coffee or tea to discuss some office or work matter. These days, it has little to do with drinking coffee.It might mean let’s meet, I have a problem to discuss, or we haven’t seen each other in a while, let’s get together and reconnect. Since I rarely drink coffee or tea anymore, for me it means an opportunity to see a friend, and likely we will have a bowl of soup, or an alcoholic beverage. We rarely have coffee.

When setting a time to meet with a friend I often tell them I can meet but not too late. When I was younger, not too late meant I could meet them until about 10PM, and if we couldn’t get together in person but wanted to talk, it meant that they could call before midnight, my usual bedtime. Now when I make arrangements with others, not too late means we can meet no later than 7 or 8, and they can call until 10. It’s not that I am asleep by then, I just know I am less able to provide the level of attention that I’d like to have.

So what do these changes in meanings of words signify? Most of them indicate that I am becoming more aware of time and how I use it. And I need to keep in mind that having the time of my life is my goal.