We all know time flies when you’re having fun. But might there be some other factors that make time fly by so quickly?
In general, time does seem to be picking up speed, stirring up creativity, and creating chaotic dust bowls as it advances. Could perception, engagement and even our mindful presence greatly affects how we experience time?
For instance, when we’re having fun, we are so invested in the present moment that we lose track of time until we’re on the other side of the experience and realize hours have passed. There is gratitude for the experience as well as disappointment in its ending that leaves our mind wondering what happened.
There are also days like today, when we gasp at the thought of how quickly June 1st came upon us. Where has the year gone? Henry David Thoreau once noted, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.” Now that almost half of the year is over, have we done anything we hoped to do when we celebrated the dawn of the new year? Did we dedicate time each day to any of the goals we chose to work toward? Apparently, time also flies when we’re wasting it.
We spend our days like we have them to spare. Half the year is over and the goals we once thought were manageable over the course of a year now must be crunched into the next six months. Or we carry the same old goals into yet another new year. I believe we’ve all done this once or twice.
Time may be marching along with or without us, but thankfully, it’s not as unforgiving as we might believe. We may not be able to go back and re-do time we wasted, but the stream of time invites us to dive in at any point, calling us from the shores of our comfortable yet complacent lives. No judgement or admonition, no questions asked, just a new beginning full of potential. The choice is ours.
Time well spent is always one thought, one decision, away. We can fully engage and invest ourselves in all the experiences that life has to offer. Or we can bury our heads in the sand and wake up years later wondering where it all went and regretting the efforts we never made.
Like a wild roller coaster ride, no matter where you sit, you’re in for a thrill just for choosing to climb aboard. Time does fly, and it invites you to come along for a joyride.
Blessings on your journey!
Julie Schnell