The other day at our nightly gathering on the living room couch my roommates and I were talking about graduation and our job searches, which is a hot topic in our lives at the moment. As we reminisced about our time in college one of my roommates said, "wow I can't believe that we are about to graduate from college in three months, it feels like just yesterday when we were a freshman." This got me thinking about the concept of time. It's a well-known phenomenon that as we age time seems to go by faster and faster. Ever wonder why though?
I have a theory that it is because the older we get the less we have to look forward to in our future and more things to dread. After the 21-year milestone has passed birthdays begin to bare less excitement and there becomes this dislike surrounding time passing. Kids think growing up and the responsibilities that come with it as something very desirable. Then, once you're faced with the responsibilities of adulthood you realize that being older is not what it seemed. Things like paying the bills every month or having to return to a job you aren't too fond of every Monday make you begin to associate the future negatively. For many people, when you're younger you can't wait to be older and when you're older you wish you were younger.
The construct of time is a paradox that I constantly find myself in the middle of. When I am on a vacation or out with my friends, I find myself wanting to slow down the clock. Whereas the minutes seem like they have turned into hours as I sit at my desk during a mid-week workday. As they say, "time flies when you're having fun."
People begin to sink deeper into this hole filled with regret for the things they didn't do or what they wish they did in the time that has already gone but they don't cherish the time that is right in front of them. When my Dad died four years ago it changed my perspective on the concept of time and I realize, there isn't much left. We always talk about time like there is an abundance of it, saying things like "there's still plenty of time," the reality is that time is a scarce resource. You only get that time once and as soon as it's gone, it's gone forever.
Your days are numbered and in order to use your time wisely is not wish for the time you once had and to harness the time that you still have. Clearly, we have less time than we think, so embrace the little amount of time in front of you. Appreciate the little things life has to offer. Worry less about things that make you uncomfortable, like the idea of going into work next Monday and worry more about not living the life of your dreams. Invest in your time rather than squander it. Get excited about your future and look forward to it.
