The passing of time

Me: All the time. Source

My first concept of the passing of time begins in year four. Our classroom had a blackboard and on the top right hand corner my teacher wrote the day, date, month and year in pretty yellow chalk. Every day she would change the day and date. I would notice how the month would change after some passing of time. But I remember impatiently waiting for the year to change. It remained 1998 day after day and I even asked her when she would change it.

Time past by so slowly then.

I remember the day she finally changed the numbers at the end. 1999. I was so excited and relieved. Finally!

Time passes so differently now that I know how many months make up the year and how many days make up those months and how many hours in that day. Now, rather than waiting for time to pass I try and make it stop. So much of my time is spent worrying about how little time I have – the upcoming deadlines, the forgotten projects, the pile of books I’ve not yet explored.

This year has been the fastest of them all. It is the first year I have not been passing through the school system and so the first year I had true ownership of my own time. Well as much ownership as one can have within the limits of earning, living and do the humanistic things we need to do.

Even though it’s only halfway through the year, my mind still calculates the passing of time with the academic calendar. To me it is the end of the year.

What struck me most is the impact one year has had on me. My outlook in life, the people I want to associate myself with, the work I want to spend my energy on and even parts of my personality – all changed.

The first year in the ‘real world’ I’m sure has this effect on many people. But it certainly got me wondering about the passing of time. Year on year, time has been sneaking through faster and with less noise. And where I thought I would be just a few years ago, and to be honest just a few months ago, is very different to where I actually am.

This terrifies me but at the same time inspires me. Time will continue passing. We all talk about living our days like it’s our last but I certainly don’t have the energy to keep up with that. Instead I will be happy with the passing of time, appreciate all I have accomplished and plan ahead even if I don’t get there. Rather than letting time sneak away silently, I will fill it with noise.

“Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free-time before your preoccupation, and your life before your death.” – Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him).