My greatest enemy is time.

It’s a precious commodity that I don’t have. And I know I’m not the only one.

As a non-traditional student, I already understand the rules of college. It’s one of the many lessons I learned from my time at Ozark Christian College. The only difference is back then I didn’t have as many things competing with my time. On top of classes and my involvement with The Chart, I have my wife, a dog, a full-time job I go to during the weeknights and a part-time job on the weekends.

Is staying as busy as I have been a blessing? No. There are many people who suffer from my constant state of business. My wife suffers from not getting to see her husband except for an occasional five minutes here or there, and only really getting to have her husband exclusively on the one night I’m not at work. My dog also suffers from my business. He generally greets me at the door with an abrupt dash to my side for two things: to say he’s glad to see me, and to say “Okay, you’re home, now take me out!”

There is someone else who suffers from my business: me. Life was not meant to be all work and no play, and unfortunately that is what my life has become. The DVR has several episodes of “24” waiting to be viewed, but as long as I’m experiencing a time shortage, Jack Bauer will have to wait to save the world.

I’ve been trying to fight the good fight in the war on time by attempting to implement some of the time management skills I learned while at OCC. Is it helping? I like to think it is, but in all honesty, there is probably more I could do.

My family lives in the area and I rarely see them. My niece is almost 10 months old and my nephew is turning three next month. Outside of my concern about not having enough time to spend with them, my other concern is whether or not they will remember who their uncle is. I sometimes get the rare opportunity to speak with my parents on the phone, but many times all they get is an e-mail, which simply reads, “I’m still alive.”

Maybe I’m being too hard on myself. Perhaps I’m finally coming to terms with my own reality. But to be perfectly transparent, sometimes I feel the lack of time issue makes me feel like a failure: as a husband, an uncle, a son, a pet owner and as a part of the human race.

I know the state of business I’m currently in is driven by the necessity to provide for my family and to better myself. But it won’t stop me from lamenting on the things I’m missing the most.