Importance of time

Hello everyone, a bit of down time today and had some thoughts and reflection... most notable was my visit to Makkah and performing the pilgrimage in 2012. As a preface, I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia as a foreign national as both my parents were not Saudi's, and I had been to the Kaaba few times in my childhood years in the late 80s and early 90s. I moved to Canada in 1992 during the Gulf war and have called it my home ever since. Back then, visiting Madina and Makkah was simple and easy to move around; visiting different sites was not difficult and fairly open.

Fast forward to 2012 and my wife and I decided to go for pilgrimage. Now a days the cost was hefty and you cannot go as a foreign citizen without being a part of a group. We managed and set course to the middle east. We performed all parts of the pilgrimage with our group and experienced wide spectrum of endeavors as this was not meant to be easy and is meant to test ones patience and perseverance. Don't get me wrong, we had a good and spiritual journey but we're met with some hardships and unexpected circumstances. It is now near the end and we are set to perform our tawaf around the Kaaba. Imagine this, we were among 5 million people from all around the world all trying to perform the same duty in the same place and at the same time. We wear very simple garments and cannot carry any object with you including a bottle of water.

We are at the main entrance, the same place as I stood there when I was young but I had a double take as I could not believe how different it was. Not only was the area developed considerably, but they added extra layers around the Kaaba to accommodate the sheer number of pilgrims was astounding. We were on a very tight schedule as our transportation agreed to pick us up at a certain point to take us to our housing unit to pack quickly and head to the airport to take our flight in the early morning. Anyone who misses the deadline will have to manage their trip back on their own. Not only that, but my wife was sick and was too weak to perform this final task of the pilgrimage and the only way she can complete her Hajj was for myself to perform both my 7 complete circumference around the Kaaba but hers as well.

I placed my wife in the prayer area and ensured her safety before I set on my task at hand. In the midst of this humbling experience and all the chaos that ensued being among the 5 million people I lost track of time as I had to focus and not lose count of the rounds while chanting my Quranic recitation. As I was completing my wife's portion I suddenly panicked and remembered about the pickup rendezvous along with the fact that most of the people in our group were most likely done and were set to leave. Filled with stress and anxiety I had to refocus and remind myself where I was and why I was there. I looked up at the sky and there it was. Something that was not there in the past but was added as part of the modernization of the area. A grand tower with a beautiful clock overseeing the area (see picture). Suddenly I felt calm as we still had a bit of time left. I met up with my wife and performed our last prayer before we set course of our return.

Two things I learned very well from this experience and that is first, we should not take things for granted... even the littlest thing as water, warmth, safety and loved ones. Second, and this ties to why this post was made here and that is the importance of time awareness, not time itself but you in the moment of your circumstance and surrounding. Needless to say, I have never gone a day without wearing a watch which started this hobby that we are all a part of. Sorry for this long post but I wanted to share the experience and how I started collecting. Thanks.