© Colonne / Canva

From the moment we scrape our first knee as kids, someone inevitably chirps, “Don’t worry, time will heal it!” The same wisdom is offered for heartbreaks, job rejections, awkward friendships, and existential crises. Time, they say, is the fairy godmother of life—always ready to wave its wand and make everything better.

But as I sit here pondering life’s messier moments, I can’t help but wonder: does time really fix everything? Or is it more like a lazy roommate who sweeps problems under the rug until you’ve forgotten they’re there?

Waiting for Time to Do Its Magic

I’ve lost count of how many times someone has told me, Just give it time. Whether it’s about mending a broken heart, grieving a loss, or figuring out what the heck I’m supposed to do with my life, the advice is always the same: Be patient. Time will sort it out. But let’s be honest—patience isn’t always my strong suit. When you’re sitting in the wreckage of a breakup, mourning a friendship that fizzled out, or grappling with that restless feeling of being lost, “just wait” can sound like a slap in the face. It’s like being handed a clock and told to stare at it until you feel better. And yet, we keep hearing it: Time heals all wounds. Tomorrow is a new day. Sleep on it. But is time really the cure-all we’ve made it out to be? Or is it just a convenient excuse for not having a better answer?

Does Time Heal or Just Blur?

Here’s the thing about time—it’s sneaky. It doesn’t always heal; sometimes, it just erases. The sharp edges of pain dull with each passing day, not because they’re resolved, but because our brains can only hold onto so much. Take history, for example. We’re constantly told to “learn from the past,” yet the past keeps repeating itself like a broken record. Wars still rage, injustices persist, and humanity stumbles forward as if time has wiped the slate clean, leaving us doomed to repeat our mistakes. On a personal level, time can feel like a thief. It doesn’t just take the pain; it often steals the lessons we were supposed to learn. That friend who ghosted you? You move on, but do you really figure out what went wrong? That ex who shattered your heart? Time may help you forget their face, but does it ever truly fill the void they left behind?

When Time Is Not Enough

Time isn’t a miracle worker. It won’t write your résumé, find your soulmate, or give you the courage to leap into the unknown. It’s not going to resurrect a lost loved one or magically solve the problems of the world. What time does do is give you space—space to think, to breathe, and, hopefully, to grow. But growth isn’t passive. It requires action, reflection, and, let’s be honest, a lot of messy trial and error. Time might open the door, but you have to walk through it. So, no, time doesn’t fix everything. It doesn’t always heal, forgive, or even remember. What it does is soften the blow, giving you the chance to decide what comes next.

The Truth About Time

As much as I’d love to believe that time is the ultimate fix-it fairy, the truth is more complicated. Time won’t do the work for you, but it gives you the opportunity to do the work yourself. It’s not about waiting for tomorrow to be better—it’s about deciding how you’ll make it better. Because in the end, time isn’t the answer. It’s just the stage where the real magic happens: you.

Please, next time someone tells you to give it time, smile politely, but don’t let that be the end of the conversation. Remember, time is just a tool. The real power lies in how you choose to use it. And trust me, darling, you’re far more powerful than the clock.

Want to speak about something precisely?

Just tell me, I'll (or we ?) write about it...

You might want to read...