THE TIME before LOVE & MONEY Chapter 1

THE TIME before LOVE & MONEY

Chapter 1

Before we ever knew lack, need, or the weight of responsibility, we were gifted a priceless treasure
—Time.

Time was the first to fall in love with us. Like a silent admirer, it showed up at birth, never leaving our side. We didn’t need to earn it. We didn’t ask for it. Yet every newborn enters this world with 24 hours each day, wrapped and handed to them like a sacred inheritance.

In childhood, we lived in abundance—playing, learning, dreaming. Time was our closest friend, always available, never demanding. We had little knowledge of its value, yet we spent it freely. And though we lacked money, we didn’t feel poor. Our parents, guardians, or sponsors gave us what we needed. In their love, we received money without knowing its cost.

It was a season of grace—a phase where we unknowingly held both Time and Money. Time was our own, and Money came without toil.
Together, they coexisted peacefully. This was the first taste of their union in our lives.

But time, like all true lovers, longs to be noticed… to be valued. And slowly, life begins to teach us that though time is free, it is never cheap.

As we grow, the story shifts. But for now, remember this:
Everyone is born rich—not in currency, but in time.
And in the beginning, Time loved us first.

Reflection:
Time is the only wealth we all receive equally— how we spend it begins to define the difference between existence and purpose. Cherish it, for it is love’s first gift to you.

…THE STORY …
Long ago, in the golden heart of the East, nestled between rolling hills and slow rivers, stood a great village split into two warring kingdoms— Timey, the Kingdom known for length of days and old age, and Moneya, the Kingdom of Wealth and riches. Though both shared the same soil, the same sun, and even the same wise king, they were forbidden from unity.

No one remembered who made the law that split them, yet the people lived by it with trembling obedience.

Tbc
James Newman