Restlaufzeit

Restlaufzeit is a German word roughly translated as ‘The remaining time’ or ‘The remaining term’. It’s a concept that is hard to comprehend. We are often looking to the present or the past. They are quantifiable, easy-to-understand concepts and terms. But we are a bit squidgy when it comes to placing a limit of the time left in the future. But it is there in lots of things. From the amount of time a government has left before an election, to the use-by date on the milk.

Those who are diagnosed with an incurable disease will inevitably ask about their ‘Restlaufzeit’. ‘How much time have I got Doc’? It's an understandable, but difficult question and the best medicos will give the honest answer with very broad sweeping timelines.

All of us have our own personal Restlaufzeit. It’s an indisputable fact. It's just that some of us are a little more aware of it than others. Some of us may even have been given an idea of how small that Restlaufzeit is, for it will always seem too short for us. So, the real question is not whether we have a Restlaufzeit, or how many years or months or days it is. The real question is how we spend our Restlaufzeit. This will be determined by our gifts and talents, our energy and abilities and even our budget. So it is best to set simple, achievable but potent goals.

To make every moment count, in prayer, in loving, in forgiveness, in making our very finite Restlaufzeit count. You will have your own schedule for your Restlaufzeit. My favourite is… “In the time we have left we must dance.” Dance like a dopey Dad. Dance like no one is watching. Dance and know the exhilaration of your Restlaufzeit.