“Who knows where the time goes”

If you have never heard this beautiful, haunting song by the late Sandy Denny then it is worth seeking out. You can listen to it here.

Anyway, doesn’t it go fast?

As I rapidly approach another of those “milestone” birthdays and we have just celebrated the 21st birthday of our daughter, I found myself asking the question “where has it all gone?” – the years I mean.

time, stress, anxiety, mindfulness, meditation
“Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
But how can they know it’s time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time
For who knows where the time goes?” (Sandy Denny)

Everything seems to come around with accelerating rapidity, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas, Easter, new cricket and rugby seasons (football never appears to stop), world cups, Olympics. It feels like it was only yesterday that I was watching our children starting out on their school life.

I remember reading an article a few years ago which attempted to explain this phenomena by suggesting that as we grow older we become more and more familiar with life and its accompanying events and so we do not experience that interminable wait that used to go along with Christmas, Birthdays and forthcoming school holidays when we were children. In addition as we become more familiar we pay less attention to these events.

I was wondering whether there might be any other reasons for this apparent shortening of time and it occurred to me that some of it might be as a result of the way we live in our ‘civilised’ society. For example when we have money problems we are wishing the week or month away desperate for the next payday, or if we are having a bad time at work we cannot wait for the weekend to get some respite. We may be desperate to get another job or move house and all we can focus on is that goal.

I think that being preoccupied with these events or even just with working and surviving or perhaps if we are obsessed with work or our family may mean we forget to notice that life goes on outside our bubble or to take time for ourselves and so we miss it and all of a sudden 3, 6 or 12 months have slipped by.

I was talking with a good friend of mine recently and she told me that her parents spend half of the year here in England and the other half on their farm in rural India. I asked if they notice any difference in how time passes. She told me that over there her parents are more in tune with the rhythm of the land and their farm and whilst they are focused on each day, time goes by more slowly. Over here they are always busy, always striving and so the half year goes by very quickly for them.

I know what you are thinking… well if that is the case why does a holiday go past so quickly as well? I am not sure but I think it may be something to do with the change of scene or pace as well as the fact that one is relaxing or even because one is subconsciously has half a mind one what we are missing.

So is there an answer? Well I really do not know. I do think that being mindful, trying to live in the present and not in the future, or the past for that matter, may help us to appreciate and enjoy those moments and the time we have.

Perhaps it does not concern you at all…. and of course it is all relative anyway!

 

 

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