Have you ever agreed to do something by a certain time? Have you ever had a deadline? To those who have and who do, I salute you. My perception of time is that nearly everyone is rushing around, doing things at breakneck speed with little regard for long range thinking or planning. I suppose I am that way, too, when I expect my paycheck to arrive on time. But there are times when I just want to sit on the porch and plan what I will be doing next year and beyond. To see far into my future and the future of others is what I want. You probably do, too. However, we live in a world where things must be done in a timely manner, so we have to meet a deadline somewhere. This is for those.

The deadline has come, the message to some,
your time’s running out! This is clear.
You hear them all say, in the course of the day,
You have to be bright and sincere.

You pick up your pen, start writing again,
but nothing comes into your mind.
so you chew on your pen, ’cause it happens, my friend.
inspiration has left you behind.

You toil and you sweat and begin to regret
the reason you said what you did.
But you chose to write, to fight the good fight,
to justify your winning bid.

And then, in a flash, it comes, in a crash.
An idea worth writing about.
Your pen is a blur, but your meaning is sure,
and you write your idea without doubt.

The pride that you feel is hard to conceal.
You wonder what took you so long.
The work, once begun, was completed and done
by the deadline, you knew all along.

There is, deep inside us all, a part of us that helps out in times of need. Some people use that gift more than others. Some just live their lives and register surprise when it happens to them. I believe that that gift can be developed in everyone. In times of emergency, you see people, who I call heroes, rise to the challenge and help in near hopeless situations. These are ordinary people who become extraordinary by circumstance. In my view, these are the great hope of humanity.