Tempus Fugit

Just why does time seem to speed up the older you get and is youth wasted on the young ?

Why, when we're young, summer holidays seem to stretch forever, but as we age, those precious one or two weeks in the sun are over in a flash?

Is it just a perception? In reality, time doesn't change. At times, time can seem to drag, but at other times time seems to fly by. One thing is for sure, it's like Christmas always seems so far away, but then suddenly it's here.

I remember when I was younger (yes it was ages ago, I know) and I couldn’t wait to drive and have my own car, I recall an older guy I worked with saying “don't wish to be older, because when you are older you are wishing you were younger.” How prophetic this turned out to be. I believe when you have children, you plan things, you work, but before you know it they are teenagers growing up themselves and you are older; but you wish you were younger.

When did it happen ?

Do you remember what age time began to start flying for you? For me it was in my twenties. Now that I'm in my forties it's going at a lightning pace. It seems that if I blink the day is over and the next day is about to begin. So I try not to blink, but being human that's not an easy task.

Why does it fly so fast ?

I’ve thought about this and numerous conundrums have gone through my head.

• Is it that as we get older there is less in life that we excitedly anticipate and more that we dread because our routines can become overwhelming, this is especially true with our work lives.
• Maybe the perception of time passing as we age is actually a warning signal that the end is approaching and that we must it take seriously reaching for what's true and real rather than all the folly we look for when younger? It could be, it’s a message I never wanted to hear but as I grow older I'm beginning to pay attention.
• The last reason that time flies could simply be that you have so many memories that go back so far, things that happened a long time ago seem like yesterday and time gets sort of compressed. The passing of time doesn't seem any faster though.

What can I do to slow it down?

You can’t ! What you can do is make the most of it.

It seems to be a fact of life that time flies, so enjoy each moment because you’ll never get it back. In good times and bad times, time is by your side so you might as well be friends with it.

Time is of the essence. Maybe, sometimes we should stop, take the time to smell the coffee! If coffee isn't your thing, then smell something else, just take the time. It would be nice if time stood still if only for a little while, but it's not really gonna happen is it ?

When we learn to use our time constructively and we’re not just killing time, life can go more smoothly, whether that's a second; a minute; an hour or a day, time is free of charge and there are no refunds.

It’s about taking the odd risk to get a better, more constructive and enjoyable life. Realise your ambitions. Do what you always wanted to do.

I’ve worked in the construction industry for nearly 30 years, I didn’t choose it, it was born of necessity back in the 80’s recession. I always wanted to either be a journalist (that isn’t going to happen now, but starting this blog has satisfied that need); or I wanted to do something ‘foodie’, run a deli or a coffee shop or something like that. If I had the bottle to go for it, I’d be doing this, doing something I love and didn’t someone say something on the lines of “if you love your work it’s not really work” ?   Have I the bottle ? good question !! It’s either down to taking a major risk alone or finding the right business partner with a similar ambition. 

The niggling thing that’ll maybe push me to do it, is that time is ticking fast and is something I'll never get back. It just keeps on moving and I have to keep up with it or waste it.

Use it wisely, don't waste it

We are all controlled by time. It would be nice if we could control it but reality tells us otherwise. We should use every moment like it’s our last; treasure even the hard times. You have no idea how short your stay is here. Do not waste it on trivial unimportant things.

Tempus fugit is a Latin expression meaning "time flees", more commonly translated as "time flies" In English, the expression is proverbial, generally with the intended sense, "Time's a-wasting". As such, it expresses concern that one's limited time is being consumed by nothing in particular or by something which may have little intrinsic substance, importance, or urgency.   – Wikipedia definition