Summer: a time we all look forward to. For students, this means a small break (at least from our studies), and for others, there is still warm weather and, hopefully, a vacation. But, unfortunately, we all realized at a young age that these few months will be over in the blink of an eye. Why is that?

It's not just summer, or even the fact that there's a break. As we get older, time in general seems to fly by. Every year goes a little faster and we're left reminiscing on the past, thinking about how good those times were, wishing we could go back.

I did some research to determine exactly what may be the cause of this phenomenon, and I found that the culprit seems to be good ol' anticipation. Well that, and being so busy all of the time, but also a lot of anticipation.

You see, when we anticipate something it probably means we are excited for it, or the exact opposite: we might dread its forthcoming. Try to think of an example. If you're human, you're more than likely anticipating something right now. The events occurring at the moment are all in preparation for, or at least lead up to, the one clear and focused event in your head. In other words, the events that lead up to the anticipated event all seem to blur together.

So is it possible that adults anticipate more than kids? Is that why time seems to go by so much quicker as we age? Well, let's look at a few things that cause anticipation to find out.

1. Summer/Vacations

The cold and dreaded months leading up to this point seem to never end. Unless you have a thousand things to anticipate during them, which tends to happen as an adult. But even then we just can't wait to be able to sit down and relax.

As the old saying goes, time flies when you're having fun.

2. Religion

This was a surprising one for me to find, but it makes complete sense.

Life is tough no matter who you are. We all have our struggles. Religion gives people something to hold onto, and often something to look forward to after this life.

If we don't anticipate something here on earth, there are plenty of people who anticipate their time in heaven.

3. Deadlines

This one probably doesn't come as a surprise, and this normally isn't something that we look forward to, but it is something that we get more of as we get older. Everything in our lives moves so quickly up until the deadline. It could be a term paper, a project, an event that you were in charge of -- anything. The point is, if you have a deadline, life gets crazy, and you probably can't wait until it's over an done with.

4. Work

Whether it's a job, raising kids, or just running errands, adult life brings more responsibility. When we have to take care of ourselves and the people we care about, there is a lot more to keep us busy, and also a lot more to anticipate. Especially the small things, like when we get off work or finally get time to ourselves.

As adults, we tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. When we were kids there was plenty of time to sit around and do whatever we wanted. We had time to explore and we often needed to search for things to keep us occupied. We didn't have as many things to anticipate, mainly because we simply didn't have the experience or skill set to handle the complex, and constant tasks we are given as we get older.

So time does fly, and by the looks of it, it will only get worse. Let this be a lesson. While time does go by quickly, it is important to anticipate every day, not just the especially exciting ones. As much as it angers me to say, it's 2016 and we still don't have a time machine. Find something to look forward to all the time, because today is the only today you will get.