Being Present to Life

As I get older I notice time going faster and faster. Like REALLY fast. Nowadays, 30 minutes seems like 5 minutes and 5 minutes seems like 1. And it’s not slowing down.

I first started noticing this in my 20s and 30s. It was a bit of a surprise. It’s like some hidden secret that older people know and younger people don’t.

On one level, it can be a little depressing. You realize how short life is and that oh no!– you’re gonna die at some point.

But there’s a real upside to this phenomenon and it’s that time and life become more precious because you realize you only have a limited amount of it. You can choose to use it more wisely and consciously, or not.

Some people get really busy and try to accomplish lots of things. They work harder at their career goals or set deadlines to get married and have kids.

Others slow down and really savor life. They get really present to each moment and learn to enjoy even the simple things in life. Like savoring a good meal, enjoying the endorphin rush after a good workout, spending quality time with friends. Even mundane tasks like doing the dishes or laundry can become enjoyable when you slow down and become present to life.

These approaches to life aren’t mutually exclusive and I find myself doing a little bit of both.

At any rate, at some point, you have to just say “Eh! That’s what it is” and just live each day to it fullest, whatever that means to you.