“Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.”

- Will Rogers

Instant breakfast, instant messenger, instant access, instant pudding! Whew, that was quick. Why does everything have to be so fast and immediate these days? People seem to have no time to just let nature take its course. It seems that no matter what the activity, someone, somewhere, is trying to find a way to get the job done faster. The theory is that it makes living more efficient. My personal take is that people need to slow down a bit and realize that some of the best things in life take time.

Remember when you had to wait for dinner? You'd get all hungry from the smells wafting out of the kitchen. And when the food finally came to the table you would be drooling like a dog with rabies. Now, you throw a Hot Pocket in the microwave and in one minute you're eating. And in three minutes, you're full. There's no time to enjoy the taste.

Or how about when you had to sit and wait for the news to get over before you could watch a television show. “On demand” programming changed all that. And heaven forbid if we ever have to be patient. That would drive the majority of us nuts. How else do you explain why we bypass seven hard working cashiers to find a shorter line to get into? Because we need our purchases now! Who knows what would happen if we had to stand still for an extra minute before getting our milk and crackers out to the car. It would be chaos.

I only bring this social observation up because this week I was put into the position where someone wanted something from me immediately - something I usually take my time with.

Curious yet?

First, let me ask you this. Is your glass half empty or is it half full? Has anyone ever asked you that? I hate these philosophical type of questions because everyone tries to read so much into the answer that you give. If you were to say “half empty,” then you must be lacking in some facet of your life. Now say “half full” and, obviously, you must see your situation as being pretty positive.

As for me, there is no right or wrong answer because my glass was, well, empty. That's because this week the doctor handed me the cup and told me to “fill #'er up.”

What am I, a gas station attendant? Is there a faucet somewhere I wasn't aware of? An on/off switch perhaps? I realize that this might come as a shock but some requests just can't be granted in a timely manner. Sure you smack my knee with that rubber hammer and I'll suddenly kick like Pele, but throw me a Tupperware jar expecting fast service - now we have a problem. But I am proud to report that after only three hours of drinking water and pacing the lobby I was able to provide the doctor with what he really wanted: instant results.

Auburn native Bradley Molloy's column appears here, each

Sunday, in The Citizen.

He can be reached at lovonian@hotmail.com