The days seem to be rushing past at a rate that far exceeds anything I can remember. Each morning the alarm goes off at 6:55, I wake up thinking ‘here we go again’ and it seems like only moments ago that I last did the same. I’m quite familiar with the feeling that time seems to pass more quickly as I get older, something which I always put down to any given time period, such as one hour, being an ever-reducing proportion of my whole life. I am pretty sure that we perceive the passing of time, at least in large part, as being relative to our lifespan to date. But this new sensation of the days tumbling one after the other with such apparently rapid rapidity feels new, or at least more severe.
I expect that time seems to be passing particularly quickly at the moment because I am busy at work. This is my busiest time of year as far as teaching sessions are concerned and most days have multiple fixed appointments such that there is rather limited freedom to shape the progress of each day. Add to this the fact that I have begun to pack some of my early mornings with exercise and it is easy to see how each day has really become a procession of scheduled activities through which I am passing, one after the other with somewhat monotonous regularity. When I think about all of this I am torn between thinking that the solution is to do less and open up more free space in my schedule or to do even more in an attempt to shift myself into a mindset of constant activity. My instinct is that whilst it always seems tempting to do less and to try to relax, it is probably better to stick with things and/or do more. Like many machines, we seem to be able to keep going better and be more effective if we are constantly in use (accepting that sleep is an essential activity that helps to maintain the machinery).
As I write this another thought comes to mind. I think I have a tendency to wake up and think ‘here we go again’ in a somewhat negative, or regretful, manner. Perhaps I am viewing each rapidly passing day as something that has been lost whereas I could view the arrival of each new day as a cause for celebration. Each day that passes is one less day that I have to live but each morning that I awaken is one more day in which to live. Is the glass becoming increasingly empty or is the glass being refilled on a daily basis? It is all a matter of perspective and I think the trick I need to try to employ is to switch my morning mindset to one of excitement at having successfully awoken to a new day and the opportunities it brings. This post started out being titled as ‘Time is rushing past’ but I think the new title ‘Days Lost versus Days Gained’ is a far better way of capturing what has been in my mind as I have written it. The author and Stoic Ryan Holiday suggests that we should carry with us a constant reminder of our mortality to help steer us towards a ‘seize the day’ mental attitude. I am not sure that I really want to constantly remind myself that this day might be my last but I can see some sense and value in this idea. In a similar vein, artist and author Austin Kleon recommends reading the obituary column of a newspaper each day to provide this kind of reminder and also to draw inspiration about what it is possible to achieve with a human life.
Carpe Diem.
Tim O'Hare 