The enigma of Time

The enigma of Time

I had a lot on my mind as I jogged this morning, and I noticed a thread running through all my thoughts — they all had to do with time.   Specifically I was thinking about:

My upcoming birthday.  I’m going to be 54 in about a week, so I can officially say I’m in my mid-50s. My 54 years have gone so fast when I look back. I’m hoping the next however-many years I get slow down a bit.  But my Dad, who is now 82, says the years go even faster the older you get (and he should know). Hmmm.

My son Mike.  He’s deployed in the Middle East right now, in a base of sand and tents and camels and that’s it. He is part of a group of soldiers whose job right now is to be ready in case they are needed for anything. So they work out and do drills and prepare. They aren’t allowed to leave the base or do most of their usual activities. Boredom is rampant. They have about six or seven more months of this, and for them, time is dragging. Each day is full of clock-watching and trying to stay busy.

My mom. She passed away nearly three years ago. I was thinking that in some ways, it seems as though it’s only been a month or so since I last saw her. At other times, it seems as though she hasn’t been here for an extremely long time. Which is it?

An enigma is something that is puzzling or difficult to fully grasp. To me, time is exactly like that. Each day, since days began, has had 24 hours. Depending on what is going on in our lives, some days feel as though they are as long as a week. On other days, we wake up and before we know it, it’s the following day.

But if every day is the same, how can they be so different? How can I be nearly 54 but feel as though I’ve only lived 20 years? How can the last month have disappeared so quickly for me (August is GONE- where did it go?) but for my son, the last month is still draggggggging along? It’s puzzling!  All we can do is live each day to its fullest and then do the same thing the next day. If our lives are flying by, then that must be a sign that we are enjoying ourselves. And that’s a good thing, no matter how fast it all goes.