Sunday, March 29, 2009

Spin Cycle: Time



People always tell you how much faster times flies by the older you get. I thought about this once when I was over my head with overscheduled life. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get to where you want to go. But while you are busy getting it done, the better moments where you feel the thrill of really living are fewer and farther between.

When you are a child, at least in the days gone by, time was something you had a surplus of. Most of your time is spent in the throes of living. Or pondering.

As you get older, a lot of time is spent doing what needs to get done. Work. Chores. Errands.

So, my thought was, the reason time seems to go by so fast the older you get is because only those moments where you are really experiencing your life count. Maybe, in a given year, you only “lived” two months at best.

When I think back on my teenagers’ childhoods, or leaf through the photos, I seldom remember the anxiety of juggling two jobs, a home, two children, and the elderly grandmother. Of constantly worrying over who did what and what did not get done. I remember the smiles. The joy. Those are the things that stick.

Living in the moment and finding joy while doing something as mundane as, say, vacuuming isn’t easy.

Letting go of obsessive worrying or negative thoughts wasn’t something that used to come easy for me.

Living through a cancer diagnosis and the subsequent treatments changed me.

I can tell someone straight up, and multiple times if necessary, that I do not want to get caught up in obsessive negativity. And mean it.

I can let go of the political maneuvering in the workplace and really not care of the sucky politics. Or at least not care so much that it follows me home.

I can let go of most things if it is for a greater good.

It is hard with our busy lives to slow down. So sometimes I feel like instead of moving forward, I just want to free fall and let go. And in letting go, can feel the thrill of what is really important.

Everything else just falls off the edge.

For more spins, head on over to Sprite's Keeper.

34 comments:

Eric said...

Responsibility Sucks.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

Great spin, Pseudo. You are so right. Those BIG things do change you. I have a very vivid memory of sitting outside on the patio of the Hospice Care Center taking a break. The patio sat up on a hill that overlooked a soccer field. I thought how odd it was that people were going about living their lives, playing soccer, laughing, LIVING, while my whole family's lives seemed to be suspended in time. I vowed that I was going to look at things differently from that point on. I would enjoy every minute and not worry about the small stuff. I would make people more important that things and chores.

5 years later, I still struggle with keeping that vow but I have stopped obsessing about having the cleanest house in the world. In fact, I may have gone too far the other way. I've adopted a new philosophy. You're welcome anytime but if the mess bothers you, you probably shouldn't come back. It might be worse the next time.

And now, I've written an entire post in your comment section. Sorry.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

"So sometimes I feel like instead of moving forward, I just want to free fall and let go. And in letting go, can feel the thrill of what is really important."

Oh, how beautifully put. Finding joy in the mundane is imperative to put things in perspective and enjoy our moments. Thanks for the reminder.

cheatymoon said...

SMB - Sometimes I think that those moments-suspended-in-time are when the real living happens.

Pseudo - I love everything about this post. And probably have a lot to say, but we're having a suspended in time moment right now (translate - drama), so I don't have my wits about me. xxxooo

Vodka Mom said...

hey phst....i loved that post.

i know what you mean about the free fall......

Beth said...

This post really hits home with me. I love life but I do feel the responsibilities get in the way of truly living. Thanks for the reminder to savor every moment possible.

And like you, I did enjoy my kids. Their happiness was my happiness.

Unknown said...

Nicely said. I was reminded today that all we have is today- no guarantee of a tomorrow.

I also appreciate your "centeredness." Do you do consults?!?! ;)

Marinka said...

What a great post. Thank you for the reminder!

Pearl said...

SO true.
Sigh.
Can't we all just slow down?!
Pearl

Sprite's Keeper said...

How I would love to just "let go" when the responsibilities bite at my heels too closely. So well put, Pseudo. You're linked and I'll be keeping this post close to my heart. Thank you!

Mrsbear said...

It's so easy to get caught up in the little details. If only I could remind myself on a daily basis to just let some things go, maybe a tiny crib note on the inside of a sleeve. That's not cheating is it? Great post.

Kristan said...

Here's to free falling!

mo.stoneskin said...

You've touched on the truth, but I'm starting to feel that time simply gets faster and there is nothing that can be done about it!!!

Mrs. Jelly Belly said...

GREAT post! I must admit, I've been so much happier since I stopped sweating the small stuff and started paying more attention to the little things in life.

Anonymous said...

Great spin! Letting go is so important. Often we waste so much precious time worrying about things we cannot change. One of my favorite sayings is "Let Go and Let God" Let go what we cannot change and let God help us through.

Tricia said...

Beautiful post, thank you. I wish it didn't take something like a health issue to make us see this. I'm guilty of not spending enough time free falling, but it's something I'm trying to do more of.

Pseudo said...

I notice the healthier I get, the harder it is to let go of the little things that don't matter. Or to not get caught up in task accomplishment. That's when I make myself mix it up, or walk away. And do something that helps reconnect me.

bernthis said...

I'm laughing b/c it is all so true. It's as though my life is just one big freakin list and I'm here to just do what I have to do to cross stuff off but the list keeps growing and I never let myself stop

Oh God, I have got to slow this all down. thanks for this

Jack said...

"sometimes I feel like instead of moving forward, I just want to free fall and let go. And in letting go, can feel the thrill of what is really important."

Love this!!!

Just B said...

So well said. I have learned to let go this year...nothing works out the way you think it will. I wasted so much time thinking I kept the world spinning. Funny how it kept on going even after I let go.

Hall Monitor said...

DetentionSlip.org is rocking the education world one discipline case at a time!

Mama Dawg said...

I haven't had any BIG changes to OCCUR TO ME, but I did MAKE a big change in my life that caused me to make other smaller, more positive changes. It's funny how that works out, huh?

Sammanthia said...

*Beautifully* written! It's so easy to get caught up in the bad stuff sometimes people don't even notice when the good stuff happens... I only hope that never happens to me. *crosses fingers*

essbesee said...

great post, per usual! 'As you get older, a lot of time is spent doing what needs to get done. Work. Chores. Errands."
SO TRUE!.

Brigit said...

You are so right. Today we had rain, rain and more rain. I can remember what seems like an eternity ago, yet only yesterday, when my daughter 2 it rained after a long period of hot summer. It was probably at about this time of year, maybe March. We put our gumboots, went outside and splashed in the puddles. Why didn't I do that today. I even had my daughter now 19 at home....bored, when it could have been wonderful.

Lori said...

Once again you said this so beautifully and really hit it on the nail. I am constantly reminded to sweat the small stuff and to let even the big things go because in reality, there is so much we don't have control over.

For me it's a daily choice I make...when I forget to start out my day in this manner, I get stuck on something that is so silly and then I am reminded in some form to just STOP, breath and look at the big picture. And then my perspective gets centered once again.

Take today for an example. I woke up to it snowing but still got ready for work and the little people ready for daycare. Getting all their stuff on takes time and patience. So after loading them up and driving down the unplowed streets and realizing that the visibility was not good. I pulled over, took some deep breaths, and prayed. I made the decision to turn around and go back home. This means not working which means not getting paid. I could get upset but I know in the big picture, I have no control over the snow AND more importantly, our being safe is far more wiser. We could get 15 ". I am so sick of the snow and cold that I am ready to lose it but I will keep my perspective on the bigger picture. It will eventually melt. It has to.

Letting go and free falling can be hard to do even when you are in the habit of doing so. Our human nature can battle our good intentions and make us lose our positive focus. I am thankful for reading things like this post because it reminds me of what I know to be the truth. Thank you.

PS Hope you are enjoying your break!

Casey said...

My mom was telling me this tonight, that time will FLY by and then I'll be her age (57) soon. It's true, it does fly by but right now, the life altering moments are still fresh in my head.

I'm sorry you had to go through having Cancer but I'm glad you're such a positive person. I always like stopping by here for my daily pick me up.

Ginger said...

This really hits home with me today. I've been having chest pains for a week. A trip to the ER and a visit with a cardiologist, and still no one knows what is causing them. I know I'm stressed out, and I'm trying so hard to get a grip on everything. This helped.

Rachel said...

I see that we're on the same spin wave length, only you've said it much better than I did. That part about really only living a few moments being the reason time goes by so fast now is so true now that I think about it. I was still stuck on the part where I don't like it going by so fast.

Joanie said...

I'm finally learing to slow down and enjoy myself. Maybe because my kids are grown and I have more time for me. Great thoughtful spin!

Cajoh said...

I always say that youth is wasted on the young. I think you are correct in that the older you get the more time seems to just fly by. I think it is because we tend to do more things that are routine— whereas when we are younger we have a lot of different things we do all the time.

HeatherPride said...

Nothing makes time fly faster than having a baby, I think. You can practically see them growing before your very eyes!

I do find that the older I get, the easier I am able to let go of the "small stuff."

Camille said...

Greatest version of this song I've ever heard. If I only ever hear acoustic guitar for the rest of my life, I'd probably never miss electric.

This post gave me goosebumps. I think, mostly, because I haven't reached the point where I've forgotten to live life...and I really don't WANT to get there. I'm sure in time I probably will, but this really makes me appreciate where I am right this minute.

Thank you!

Stacy Uncorked said...

What a beautiful spin! I especially love this part:

"I just want to free fall and let go. And in letting go, can feel the thrill of what is really important."

We absolutely need to do that every so often to maintain our sanity... :)