Time is Flying at Breakneck Speed
A full six months have raced by already this year — only 5-1/2 months until Christmas. Whew! Just think about how slowly time went for us in our childhood when we said: “I can’t wait until school is out for the summer”. “How many more days until Christmas?” Or, when we were so in love and counted down the days until our wedding day and what about that nine long months for our baby to get here?
You know the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun!” Well, I had a lot of fun as a kid and time sure didn’t fly for me. You remember the movie “Back to the Future” where a teenager (Michael J Fox) is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time machine invented by his friend? The reality is – we don’t get to hit a “reset button” or go back in a time machine, but here’s the really great thing…..we DO get to start each new day with the wisdom and knowledge we gained from the past.
Instead of watching fireworks on the 4th, we decided to stay in, have popcorn, chocolate shakes and enjoy a movie in my children’s theater room. We selected the sci-fi movie, “Arrival” in which linguistics specialist Dr. Louise Banks is brought in to decipher and communicate with aliens that have landed on earth. The most impactful line in the film to me was in a closing scene when Dr. Banks utters “If you could see your whole life laid out in front of you, would you change things?”
That question made me think about how I might have done things differently if I had known how things would turn out in my life beforehand. I might have withheld things I just felt like I HAD to say or did. I might have been kinder, less judgmental, made different decisions or reacted entirely differently to such incidental and did-it-really-matter situations.
We can’t do anything about the past, but we can sure do things differently now and in the future. We can take life less seriously and enjoy the ride much more. We’re the pilot on this flight and in many ways, IT IS like a RESET button. Each experience – good and bad, has equipped us to be better, do better and appreciate time more. It is the dawn of a new day, today. I know one thing for sure — we can’t live in the past, and the future isn’t ours to predict. But, we can make moments, minutes, hours and days really count for what matters most.
I speak a lot about it, but I repeat: Treasure THIS day – make memories for yourself and someone else. Live as if there were no tomorrow. Spread sunshine. Give love and laughter and life to those who need an injection of fun, faith, and friendship.
The BAD news — time flies, but the GOOD news, we’re the pilot in the hands of the MASTER PILOT Who holds our future in the palm of His hands! And, I assure you, if indeed “time flies when you’re having fun”, then I must be having a blast!