Time is a thief. There’s a reason why so many people go to great lengths to look younger, resorting to expensive surgeries, lip injections or other facial/bodily adjustments in an attempt to reverse the aging process. There may be no more prized possession in folklore than the fountain of youth.
My question is this. At what expense? Other than the obvious monetary setback, what else is being lost in our collective march toward trying to look and stay young?
I’ve always had an issue with time and how quickly it can pass. Even when I was younger, I’d struggle being in the moment. I’d have to take a step back and remind myself to enjoy what was happening right then rather than thinking about the future. This was always most difficult during vacations. Rather than enjoying each day, I had a personal doomsday clock in my head that counted down the minutes to when we were leaving.
By not enjoying each day and the moments that followed, I was stripping myself of a life well lived. My future self was impeding on my current self, removing my ability to obtain true happiness and personal acceptance.
Our digital world has made it easier to relive moments from our past. What was once confined to a photo album containing a few hundred pictures of past friends and family has been replaced with thousands of life moments stored on our phones. Our past creeps into our psyche via social media on a daily basis, constantly reminding us of the aging process and how quickly time can pass.
Depending on the day, these mirrors into the past can either produce pangs of grief for what has been and will never be again or an appreciation for having experienced that particular time or event in our lives. We each own how these moments in time are perceived. Viewing them from a lens of mourning and loss rather than happiness has a price.
It’s hard to quantify exactly what that price is. I can tell you from experience that not living in the moment is detrimental to your enjoyment that’s taking place. By removing that doomsday clock I mentioned earlier, I’ve been able to embrace each day for what it is rather than thinking about what the next day will bring.
We’ve all heard the expression “life is short.” This is told to us when we’re young so we have zero understanding of what it means or why it matters. As we age, the days seem to pass by quicker due to a myriad of responsibilities along with an increasing need for our mind and bodies to gain more rest. Gone are the 2am late night Taco Bell runs, replaced with 9pm bed times and 5am workouts. Life changes and we change with it.
Embracing the aging process and the fact that time is fleeting are crucial to our mental health and well being. Instead of looking in the mirror and wondering where the time has gone, review each wrinkle, graying hair and bald spot to reveal the person you’ve now become.
Personally, I exchanged a corporate Vice President title and redirected my focus to the titles of Dad and Husband. Although it’s not always been the easiest road, the time it has taken to get to where I am now has been well spent. No amount of money gained or surgery performed to upfit my aging body could replace the feeling of serenity I experience on a daily basis.
Perhaps you’re going through something similar and need to make a life change. My advice would be to give it time. Things have a way of working themselves out when you focus on what truly matters.
Don’t give it too much time though. It is fleeting after all.
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