The sand shifts in the upper part of the hourglass, reddish grains moving and swirling to music only they can hear. Slowly, they begin to slide down, a trickle letting gravity take it to the bottom.

I only have until this timer runs out. That’s all the time I have, to make this a moment worth remembering. To turn this from an ordinary moment into something special.

The sand continues down; the lower part begins to fill.

I only have until the hourglass has finished. After that, this moment will be gone forever, gone to a place where even I cannot retrieve it. How can I keep it here? I watch the sand continue to move downwards, through the clear glass. For a second, I let my eyes just focus on that.

And then, the last grains of sand pour through the center, and into the collection at the bottom. This moment is gone. My moment has disappeared, and I have wasted it.

A tear forms in my eye, and then I realize: this is the moment when the sand shifted. And I wasted it trying to make it something more special.