…it will not come again.
This is a quote which is engraved on a sundial that I pass every day on my walk. I had walked past this sundial for a couple weeks before ever noticing that there was something engraved on it. The little proverb is terribly appropriate for me, and now I glance at it every time I go by, just sort of making sure it’s still there or something. I tried to look it up in order to learn who wrote it, but haven’t had any luck so far.
The other day I paused in my walk to actually go closer to the sundial and get a better look; it turns out there’s a different pithy little phrase on each of the four sides of the sundial, but I didn’t like any of them as much as I like the one that I saw originally. I realize it’s quite similar to “carpe diem,” but somehow the heightened urgency of “seize the flying hour” versus “seize the day” makes a stronger impression on me.
We gotta use our time to our best advantage every hour, every day, people. Every single moment is a gift. Maudlin and unoriginal, sure, but there it is.
Seize the flying hour; it will not come again.