LONG DAYS SHORT YEARS

The first time I heard the phrase “The days are long but the years are short” was from a 95 year old man. My initial reaction was, “How can someone who has lived this long think his time has been short?” This had quite the impact on me as, I thought, obviously, he has experienced this; he knows what he’s talking about. As we look over our own lives we can see how true this is: a mother who is trying to soothe a child that is teething, a tedious work day that just doesn’t go right, anxiety over a future surgery – these are long days. In fact, there are a multitude of events in Life that can suspend you in time for a day that makes them seem like forever; but when you look back each New Year, regardless of your age, isn’t it true you find yourself exclaiming “Can it be another year has passed?!”

Now that I’m 60 and have been married 42 years, I feel I’ve reached a milestone that loudly states Life is a hill and I’ve passed the summit; 95 doesn’t seem so far away in years. There’s so much to accomplish with (maybe) only 35 years left, and yet…the days often hold us back; encumbered with the distractions and busy-ness of “getting” through the day.

If only we could realize Now is Now and Now and Now. What I mean is, if we don’t see Now as Now, we will lose out on all the Nows of today; because it will be Now later too. Not taking advantage of Now now means it becomes then. In time, now is this continual gray area of existence that is sandwiched between what was and what is to come. Perhaps the trick to making the longer days more meaningful is seeing the gratitude of “what happened earlier” and the anticipation of “what is to come” as it turns into Now. Then we truly realize that the best Now is now.

Here we have it: 365 days that have passed where you realize you are still healthy and your family still loves you; and we have 365 (if all’s well) more sunrises full of possibilities to experience Now. Life can’t be tidied up into a neat little list of outcomes. No, Life is about living. Now. Growing, Learning, Discovering, Engaging.  Think about your last New Year. Surely you had many interesting possibilities; many you had no idea you’d meet before the year began. Of course, no one knows the future, but you can keep your curiosity about Life open. You never know what’s around the corner.

Another saying from another dear 95 year old man I knew often said, “Time and tide wait for no man”. So find things that motivate you. Question everything (Yay! You’ve finally reached the age you can and get away with it!). Pursue experiences that bring out a more alive and interesting version of you. Don’t squander away the opportunity of Now. Don’t set the bar too high; remember the adage “One day at a time”. Stop waiting for your Life to begin and start making the most of the moments you are in. Now!

Carpe Diem 2021!