Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

T - Time

T is for Time

#AtoZChallenge 2019 Tenth Anniversary blogging from A to Z challenge letter

Do you remember when you were young and Time seemed to pass ever so slowly?  You wanted Time to go by fast so you could get to the next thing!

  • the next birthday - especially the BIG ones: the first 'teen birthday,'  sweet 16 birthday, or the big - 21st birthday.
  • the big holidays - for me December dragged on so slowly till Christmas.
  • first day in first grade, graduation from high school, first day in college.

Curiously, the older you got, the faster time passed!  When my son signed up for the military and I dreaded the arrival of the day he left for boot camp.  He was on a delayed admission so we waited months before he left - but that time passed in a blink of an eye for me - probably dragged for him.

Time passes no faster or slower than it did centuries ago.  It is just our perception of the speed of time ... but I find it interesting that almost all people share the same perception.  It is probably the only perception in life that we share exactly the same way!

As I aged I looked forward to retirement and having more time.  No one really has more or less time.  Said properly - I would have more control of how I spent my Time in retirement - rather than having more of Time.  And that is the joy of retirement.  

What is not so joyful about Time and retirement is that I am older now.  I know my life span is limited - my Time is limited.  Maybe I have 10 more years, maybe I have 20 ... or maybe I have only 1.

Time becomes more precious - I don't want it to pass quickly. I want Time to stick around a bit longer.  I still have a looonnng list of things I would like to do and see with the Time I have left. 

As I get older the value I place on time is similar to the person who gets a devastating terminal diagnosis.  That person knows for a fact they don't have 10 years or 20 years or maybe not even 1.  What they do have rather suddenly is an increased value of Time.  They see each day, each hour, each minute through a different lens.

I am using a different lens now. 
My only regret - I didn't change lenses 
sooner.

Don't have regrets.
Change your lenses now!  







6 comments:

Marie Smith said...

Enjoy the now. It is all we have!

Susan said...

This is so true. And time on the weekends goes by twice as fast as time during the week. I find myself focusing more and more, on enjoying the time I have.

Cat said...

I am learning to use time, not just saying yes to everything, and enjoying... not much of it.

I am finding that Husband and I are learning, gee, if we say no once in a while, we can enjoy things WE want to do, sometimes together, sometimes not, but we will have the time!

Cat

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

So true, how we judge and treat time. I have changed my lenses to think more in terms of starting projects now rather than later.

https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com
AtoZChallenge: very short stories

happyone said...

So true, the older we get the faster time seems to go.
I can truly say though that I have always tried to make the most of each day and I'm thankful for every one God has given me.

netablogs said...

Time sure does fly! When we're young, we don't really think much about the future, just what's up the next day or the next week! Now, I think in terms of years! I need to be reminded to enjoy each day and consider how I'm spending it- wasting or investing?