How many times since mid-October did you hear, “The holidays already??? It seems like only yesterday….” In addition to Christmas, which is only eight days away, I’m reminded that winter begins this coming Saturday. I don’t need the calendar, however, to tell me it’s time to drag out the heavy comforter for my bed.
Then there is the ongoing conversation about Daylight Saving Time (DST) and whether we should continue to let it play havoc with millions of people who are sensitive to one hour added or taken away? Whether you are for or against daylight saving time, I only mention it along with December 21st (the beginning of winter) and Christmas because I’m thinking of time in general and how much quicker it seems to pass now as opposed to during my younger years when the school year dragged, when turning 16 or 21 wouldn’t come fast enough, and when being pinned to the dinner table until everyone was done was excruciating.
Time as We Age
It’s true; time goes by quicker as we age. No, not literally, but it feels like it does, and there’s an excellent scientific explanation why it feels like it does. The explanation is boring (to me) and complicated (to me), but if you’re curious enough, you can check out a video here that explains how time flies.
I’ve tried in recent years to do things to make time seem to move slower, or, I should say, less fast. When I’m trying to slow down time, I often pause throughout my day or week to stop and look around at what I’ve been doing and how much I’ve accomplished … to smell the roses, so to speak. I take time to see where I am in the day or the week or the month. I resist the urge to zoom on to the next thing – the next chore, book, social engagement, etc. I look for the half-way point of any time period … just to see where I am on the journey. Then I compare where I feel I am in terms of time compared to where I actually am.
When do I feel that mid-point? It’s never at 5,040 minutes into the week, the exact halfway point at noon on what we laughingly call Hump Day.
It takes something ephemeral that I sense about how much time has passed … like the minutely cooler morning air as I take out the garbage, or the gradual switch from vacation commercials to back-to-school ads.
Taking Time in Every Single Minute
At this point in your reading of this blog post, I fear you may be thinking, “And why exactly, is she so wrapped up where on the time spectrum she is?” I agree, it can seem esoteric. In all honestly, however, I’m just trying to be aware of every single moment that I spend in chosen and required activities. Doing so helps me expand the time I have. It helps me feel like time isn’t zooming along without my involvement.
We all know how quickly time passes. Ask any parent how quickly it goes, or how time creeps slowly for any 20-year-old waiting to join the party. For most of us, the point at the top of the bell curve of time is passed, and we are well on our way down the other side, the roller coaster picking up speed. Roller coaster is a perfect analogy because it’s chug-a-chug-a slowly creeping up to the pinnacle and then the ride down (the second half of whatever) goes by in a whosh!
I don’t want to miss a moment.
I’m just trying to be more observant to the passage of time. I’ll do whatever I can to slow the moments of my life, and doing so involves me being aware of time, how I’m using it and acknowledging its finite quality in the big scheme of things. An hour here or there in a year isn’t what it’s about for me. It’s about seeing the bigger picture — the increasing value of this commodity called time and about spending it wisely.
Thanks for listening. lol