Time, that eternal thief, is up and running

The transition from run and gun basketball to “take your time” baseball is giving me fits. You might think that as old as I am I would appreciate a game that gives you time to pop popcorn, get a cold drink, stretch your legs and still not miss much. But no, one of the biggest changes in my aging brain is that I want things to go fast and faster.

Last year my summer vacation involved a drive from here to Florida. Never again. I didn’t think that ride would ever end. When I go back I am flying, a fast way to travel for sure.

This brings me to the glacial pace of government, courts and justice. Honestly the national scene is like watching paint dry these days.

The airwaves have been filled with charges, counter charges, indictments and hearings but not conclusions.

Once upon a time in my home, the phrase “justice delayed is justice denied” was almost a mantra for my father, who was a presiding judge.

I also noticed with careful attention that when I, the accused, came before his piercing stare after some juvenile indiscretion, the verdict and punishment was almost immediate. The only thing slow paced about his decisions was how long it took for me to get back in his good graces.

For a kid, 24 hours can seem like a lifetime. I hated for daddy to be mad at me, and that was probably the reason I didn’t get into much trouble. Nothing to do with being good because that was the right thing to do. Oh no, not for me, behaving meant I was not going to fall to the threat of “immediate justice”.

Truth is perhaps what we are seeing is a new way of looking at some of our judicial efforts. If you pull some illegal stunt and get caught and are clever you can get continuances, delays and dismissals. If you are wealthy the final decision about your crime can be delayed so long the entire world will get tired of the whole sorry chapter and move on to deal with real problems.

After daddy was first appointed to the bench, an event that only enhanced his sense of responsibility, he wanted to do a thorough job.

One of the ways he went about accomplishing this was to attack a very heavy docket with way too many cases piled up waiting. The preceding justice had been ill for some time, and work had indeed gotten very heavy.

I remember well how many long, long hours he worked to get that docket cleared. And when, many years later, he decided to retire, he only did so when he felt his docket was as clear as he could reasonably leave it.

I guess my heightened appreciation for speed has much to do with knowing now that time is so precious. There is a timely TV ad these days that states that time is the only irreplaceable commodity.

It is already May, and I swear it couldn’t have been more than a couple of weeks ago when we were celebrating the New Year. Before we know it, the Christmas music will ring out in every commercial establishment around. Guess I better start a Christmas list.

Good luck on your Derby choice. Authentic, of course, is not running, but many great horses are. Think I will drive by Wylie Caudill’s “Authentic” mural of that super horse on Derby Day for old time’s sake.