The other day, Master commented that I hadn't written in this blog since July 16th. (When I say, "the other day," I mean within the past few days. 5 days. Something like that.) My response to him? I said, "Yeah?" -- I didn't think about it beyond that because I didn't realize until today that it was September already. It felt like only 3 weeks ago was July 16th. Time flies...
September. How did it come to be September already!? It was just May and my son just finished school for the summer! I swear it!
I notice as I get older that time moves far more quickly than it did when I was younger. We all know this "time moving faster" bit to be complete and utter bullshit, but it feels that way. Time goes at the same speed it always does. So what's making it seem different? More importantly, how do we make things slow down again?
I think four things we learn and get better (or worse) at tend to work on our sense of time as we age:
Focus: Adults focus on tasks and life (problem solving on a life scale, like how to fix the air conditioner before the house is 100 degrees inside) better and better as they age. We can focus on what needs doing and not focus on the time it takes. We may groan at the idea of handwashing dishes, but we don't stare at the clock before, during, and after the fact. That's what a teen does. That's what a young adult does. (Once they make themselves DO the dishes, that is... they do the dishes generally after having run completely out of clean ones.) ----------- The positives of focus? Adults can focus on something until it is finished, taking the time, calm and patience to do the job right without having to lose time as they lose focus and have to refocus. The negatives of focus? We tend to lose track of time and lose ourselves in the day-to-day grind of things, not living in the moment and focusing on each moment.
Time management: Adults manage time fairly well. We have the abstract thinking ability to plan ahead much better. As a matter of fact, clinically it has been shown that young adults cannot do this until around age 25. So when your mother said to think about the consequences, she surely didn't understand that you just weren't capable of doing that completely and fully to the best of human capability yet. In other words, as we drive the 20 minutes to work, we are thinking way ahead, "Oh yes, there is road construction at 400 North. Better take the belt route." Suddenly we're at work and we mark that moment in time very briefly, just long enough to get what we need out of the car and go in, then we melt into the workplace needs. ---------- The positives of Time Management? You can virtually plan out your day and not forget your keys to the house or your phone. The negatives of Time Management? Suddenly it's Tuesday and you don't know where the hell the weekend went.
Acceptance: Do you remember being in school? I don't mean college. I mean elementary through highschool. Remember glancing at the clock every 10 to 30 seconds and feeling as if 5 minutes had passed in 10 seconds? That's because you were bored out of your mind. The droning voice of that Math teacher could put you to sleep, which you so desperately need because you were up until 2 a.m. talking to your best friend, Nancy, or gaming the night away with your XBox buddies. You know something great though, don't you. You know for a fact that you only have to get through graduation and then you can do whateeeeeeeeeeeever you waaaaaaaaaaant. The sad truth? There is no way to explain the working life to a teen. Why would we want to? The explanation would take away your hope! Adults start working... and realize they're in for the long haul... about 40 years of it. We don't have the luxury of knowing that after this 3 month trimester we don't ever have to see that stinking Home Economics teacher ever again! She only teaches the 9th grade! Nope. Adults know that they have a lifetime of servitude to any number of things. The boss. Payments on this, that, or the other. Food. Mate. Children. And if they don't stay in line, their parents bother the crap out of them. What's that? You thought that at age 18 your parents will miraculously stop bothering you about crap? Wrong again bucko! I think enough has been said to explain the positives and negatives. LOL!
Memory: As in, forming memories. As a child, you are busy learning everything. You make so many first memories that every moment is etched in your mind. You remember your bike crash, the feel of the wind in your hair as you ride the bike successfully the first time, how to tape a flashlight to the front of a box being pulled in the dark by a bike and how to strap that box to a skateboard. You remember the sound of your friend's delighted and terrified screams as you pull them behind your bike in the dark. As an adult, you might still remember those things, but your memories of riding a bike now, well... if you ride it's probably daily for either exercise (boring and/or strenous) or to get to work (also boring and you hope you don't sweat unless you work outside already). As an adult, you've formed first memories to a good many things so now they're just... passing twinges of memory that don't hold a candle to the original memory. Of course you just had Christmas. Oh wait, that was 30 years ago. You know you've had Christmas every year since then but can you remember anything really memorable about each one? Probably not. Not unless something really cool happened like Uncle John knocking over the Christmas tree after drowning his anxiety about family gatherings with some Wild Turkey or Old Grandad.
Well, that about covers it. Shit what month is it? Phew! Still September! Same year?!?!?! OMG yes! *sigh of relief*
Don't laugh. Had it happen! Haha!
