AMAZING HOW QUICKLY THE TIME HAS GONE BY

I keep hearing people say: “Time flies by so quickly.” 

The older we get, the more this seems to be happening. After all, as we age, any given length of time represents a shrinkingly smaller percentage of the time we have been alive. Of course, youth does not dwell on the time going by, so it is difficult to compare. Only as we age do we ponder the passage of the days. 

Perhaps we sense that this  life will not go on forever. Perhaps we fear that we did not take full advantage of last week, and that next week will be the same. 

Does this make that time less consequential? 

It certainly does not! An hour passes by in an hour, no matter whether we are paying attention or not. We need to live in the moment, especially if we sense that the hours have been going by too rapidly. Fortify yourself against the silence of time. Be cognizant and conscious of every  waking minute. Appreciate the life you have. 

A year is one trip of the earth around the sun. That really doesn’t change during a human lifetime. It’s still about 365 ¼ days. Pretty constant.

A day is a day, no matter how we fill up that period. If we experienced a lot during a 24 hour period, we can recollect that day with its fullness. If we waste our time, the day may not be remembered at all. However a person spends his or her time, give it the value it deserves. I promise you that every moment of your life has merit no matter what occurred. We can choose to emphasize how jam-packed the minutes were. The day really did not pass by so quickly.

Time doesn’t fly. And the past year has not gone by any faster than any other year. Even if we sleep for an entire year, the clock counts the same amount of time.

We all do many things in our lives. We work, sleep, and eat. We play, read, and dream. We talk and learn. We celebrate and complain. So much happens around us and to us. Life is an ongoing series of impactful influences.  

Stare at the sky. Daydream. These activities are also doing something. Don’t discount any moment by declaring that it went winging past while you were distracted. No matter your conscious involvement, it was part of your life.

Before going to bed, review your entire waking day. Every moment was occupied by something. Maybe you climbed a mountain; or maybe you took a nap. Remember how you spent the day. Glorify it. Feel joyful about being alive.

Focus on the events of the past month. There are noteworthy things you experienced or thought. Meditate on meaningful episodes. Clarify them. Color them. Make them part of your current awareness.

Keep a diary, list, or log of how you used your time. A lot happened. Review this list at the end of each year. Do you take a lot of pictures with your cell phone? Maybe you should. (no developing costs) Look through all those photos every couple of weeks to impress yourself with all that has happened in your life. 

Realize time and again that you filled up every day. The time you are living is not “flying by.” Without thinking about it, you are forgetting, and – in doing so – denying, the wondrousness of your life.

Saying that the time has flown is negating the reality of your life. It diminishes the relevance and importance of your experience. Speaking dismissively of your wordly adventure nullifies it. Your own past has affected you and made you different. What happens to you molds your body, mind, and emotions. In this way, your past exists – as you.

Try shifting your perspective by adding structure to your life. Make a schedule of what you want to do every day. Be realistic. Every moment need not be accounted for by a plan. But follow the plan. Do some new things. Expand some older things. Finish a project. Your plans can be mundane or momentous. They can be the habits that you follow every day. Even combing your hair. Being able to see what you did will help you to recognize that time did not fly. Instead, you lived a life for which you get to credit yourself. 

Feeling connected to your past will empower a positive attitude about your life. You will feel more complete and calm. This builds self-esteem. Improved health is a happy consequence.