Shared Time: It Is Not Lost, It Multiplies

In the daily murmur of Matanzas, amid the ebb and flow of bicycle taxis and the bustle of the market, there is a topic that touches us all: time. That resource that seems to slip through our fingers when we need it most. And it is that, in the whirlwind of obligations, we sometimes forget that the most precious asset is not in the grocery store, but in the living room of our home.

On an island that faces shortages and daily challenges, stress and uncertainty can become seatmates. But it is precisely in those cracks of difficulty where family becomes the concrete that holds us together. It is not about finding dead hours, because in Cuba they almost don’t exist; it is about stealing 15 minutes from fatigue to ask your child how school went, sitting on the porch to share a coffee without hurry, or listening to the grandfather’s story—the living memory of this city.

Betting on family is not a luxury; it is a strategy of resistance. It is the embrace that repairs a bad day, the laugh that dusts off anguish, and the advice that lights the way. Because even if the ration book doesn’t cover everything, the time we dedicate to our loved ones is the only capital that multiplies its value without depreciating. In Matanzas, a city of bridges and rivers, we must extend that bridge inward, toward home, because that is where the strength to weather any storm comes from.

So now you know: organize your schedule, prioritize what truly endures, so next Sunday doesn’t catch us waiting in line for shopping, but sharing the table. Because lost time cannot be recovered, but shared time multiplies.