How Time and Our Perceptions Ultimately Change Throughout a Lifetime
Some day man will travel at the speed of light, of small interest to those of us still trying to catch up to the speed of time. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com
After writing Life Isn't Linear last week, I started thinking about the passage of time and how we perceive it at different stages of life. That perception changes a lot from when we’re young to when we reach retirement age.
As a kid, a year seemed like forever. I had a habit of assigning themes to every month, so holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and the Fourth of July were celebrated for the entire four weeks. Just because a particular day fell near the end of any given month didn’t mean I couldn’t spend the whole time preparing for it. Likewise, any decorations that went up on the 1st of the month were permissible until the 31st (or whatever the last day happened to be.)
Easter fluctuated from year to year, so that got tricky, and the few random months left over didn’t offer any specific days to get excited about.
Unless you counted birthdays. March is my birthday month, and while the rest of the world didn’t celebrate it, I sure did! I eagerly anticipated its arrival each year. Once the Valentine's party at school was over, I’d begin thinking about ‘birthday season.’ I thought of it as a season because I had to wait the last two weeks of February and the entire month of March before my special day arrived.
Born around 9:30 p.m., I came precariously close to being an April Fool’s baby! But I loved hearing the story of my birth. Mom had gone into labor in the early evening, and things progressed pretty quickly. She and my Dad left the apartment shortly after 8:30 p.m., but instead of driving directly to the hospital, he decided to stop for gas. Despite the tank being low on fuel, there was enough to get them to their destination. However, the cost per gallon was going up the next day, so Dad wanted to take advantage of a full tank at a discounted price. Mom’s contractions were getting stronger and closer together, but since Dad had never experienced childbirth firsthand, he didn’t understand why any delay was risky.
Luckily they made it, and he dropped her off at the Emergency Room entrance into the hands of an orderly with a wheelchair. They hurried away towards the elevator while Dad drove off to find a parking spot across the street. I don’t know if my Young Dad was anything like my Old Dad, but Old Dad would spend a considerable amount of time leisurely winding his way around a parking lot, looking for the closest spot to the entrance. Whatever the case, Young Dad got into the Maternity Waiting Room, and within a few short minutes, the nurse came out to tell him he had a daughter.
I also remember learning the idiom “in like a lion and out like a lamb.” It was a reference to the weather patterns typical of March, and I thought it made my birthday month even more unique. Although I must say, it didn’t always hold true. I had plenty of birthdays that saw snowstorms just as the daffodils of April were making their spring debut.
Time started to speed up when I reached high school. There wasn’t as much to spare between school, extracurricular activities, and a part-time job. The ebb and flow of the pace from previous years disappeared.
As those years progressed, there was definitely more flow than ebb. Family, work, and the growing responsibilities of adulthood made downtime a thing of the past. I remember my daughter complaining of being bored in the late 90s when she was about eight years old. Irritated, my response was quick and firm, “Enjoy it…I haven’t been bored since the mid-80s!”
These days I have the luxury of ‘keeping busy’ compared to my second, third, and fourth decades. During those periods, I never had to look for things to do; they found me…every minute of every day.
Working full-time and raising a busy family occupied most of my waking hours. Soccer season was followed by basketball and then baseball. In addition, Cub Scouts, Pep Squad, and Altar Servers were activities peppered throughout the year. There were also class parties, plays, concerts, and cafeteria duties that required parental participation. It was a whirlwind; no, maybe more like a tornado that lasted 15 years until they reached high school. My memories are few, and those I do have are faint.
Strange, but time still passes fairly quickly. Nothing like those years, but I have some obligations and commitments that keep me busy. The difference now is that I have more control over my schedule because it mostly centers on me. I can rearrange household tasks as needed and volunteer on days that suit me. It’s easier, and that’s good. I couldn’t keep up the pace of my younger self. This is why ‘tired’ is found within the word retired. 😉
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Love this. I’ve been playing around writing something about then and now. Great minds and all that. Lol
Loved the story of your dad on the day of your birth. Had a good giggle!
At 71, my days are never dull, I seem to be busy doing very ordinary things , but life's more complete than I've ever known it. I watch my kids between 38-43 and I know they envy husband and self for our life.
I wish they'd believe us when we say that we were as rushed and pressured when we were their age, but I suspect they might think that life was easier back in the day.
Ah, it's all relative, I guess.
Happy days and happy birthday for next week!