There Really is Never Enough Time

Hey everyone!

Here’s to Monday and the start of the week. I hope you all had a merry Christmas, and the holiday season has treated you wonderfully. I am thankful to say I had an awesome time eating tasty food and spending time with great people. With that said though, that means the new year is just a few short days away and is closing in fast. Thinking about the upcoming year has brought a familiar thought wafting through my mind again; time just flies by and it’s passing by faster and faster. There’s a thought that gives me anxiety. I’m still young, but I’m painfully aware how quick that is going to pass. Enjoy it while it lasts people! Now, let’s dive a little deeper into the topic for today.

I often find myself talking about the passage of time with two of my friends. The conversation always starts with the same question “Where did the time go?” And the question is always followed by the same answer “I don’t know.” We then go on to recap everything that happened in the last six years between what we have accomplished or what events have gone on in the world and despite how fast time passed, it wasn’t idly passed. I’m grateful to say that I’ve kept myself busy these past several years, but I can never shake the feeling that I’m moving in slow motion or like I’m swimming against a current. Does anyone else get that feeling too? Perhaps I’m expecting too much too soon from myself or maybe I am moving too slow. Time may very well hold the answer for me. I find that the future is both a daunting and exciting prospect; on one hand there is the element of the unknown but on the other hand my future is in my own hands.

Something that a friend of mine has told me about our perception of time has stuck with me for a while now. That something is that as we age our perception of time changes and that’s why it feels like time passes so quickly. I can’t say how true this is, but I think it has some merit. If I’m spending time with friends or family I think about my perception of time and I try to make time move slower. I do this by emulating some behaviors I do when I want time to pass faster. For instance, I check my watch more; nothing slows down time like paying attention to it. I also try to find something to look forward to after whatever it is that I’m doing. So, the lesson that I’ve found there is to take advantage of anticipation rather than be subjected to it. Finally, there’s the age-old adage “stop and smell the roses.” I never really gave the saying much thought or credence when I was younger; after all time seemed to drag and I still had plenty of slow-moving years ahead of me. However, ever since life has started to show me how wrong I was I began to reflect on the saying and apply it whenever and wherever I can. Learning to take in the beauty and enjoying the moment has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. When I want the time to pass quickly, I do the opposite of what I do to slow it down, I ignore my watch, I try to enjoy what I’m doing in the moment even if it’s just work and if the opportunity presents itself, I sleep. It’s a neat trick that I’ve learned, and I wouldn’t mind learning new ways to manipulate my perception of time.

I suppose it’s about time to wrap this post up. Please, feel free to give these tricks a try and see if they change your perception of time too. Let me know in the comments. Before I finish up I’ve got a couple questions for you. Do any of you have any special new year goals that you’ve set for yourself? Are you looking forward to 2022? Feel free to share in the comments! So, let’s get through this week and meet the new year head on and see what the future has for us. Thanks for reading and have a good one!

Best,

Aaron Kirby