Last week a friend was visiting me from Los Angeles. We went to school together many years ago but our friendship really deepened the years following graduation.
She's 41 now and told me, "I know 50 is right around the corner. I can feel it."
Only she wasn't telling me in some ominous way. She was simply sharing that time speeds up as we get older. It feels more palpable -- the sense of urgency heightens.
That's a good thing, I thought. But it also comes with responsibility.
If we want the time we have on the planet to mean something we have to start jettisoning those pesky "time bandits." The little things that compound over time. Whether it's investing 3 hours to watch a sporting event, or aimlessly surfing the web. It may not feel like a big deal but over time it REALLY adds up.
If I live to be 85 that means I've got about 17,141 more tomorrows. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll catch 10 more sunsets. (how often do we actually take the time to do take one in?!) There might be 15 more chances to visit my favorite vacation spot.
What about the people around you? How many more birthdays will you share with your father? 10? 15? 20?
The point isn't to frighten you but to LIBERATE you by developing a healthy understanding of your own mortality. It prompts us to do what matters NOW rather than later because we appreciate that later may not come.
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