by Johanna Osborne

I remember when I was a little girl and all these old people used to say silly things like “My, how time flies” and “Look how you’ve grown” and “When you’re my age you will think where did the time go?” I couldn’t believe someone so old would think time had gone fast, when to me it seemed they’d clearly been alive for centuries already!

As a kid I remember Christmas taking forever to come around and watching the clock at school thinking it must be broken, as the day seemed to be at a standstill. I recall the days leading up to my 12th birthday feeling like they would never end. I remember wishing High School was over already so that I could stop wearing that horrid uniform and finally be free to express myself. At university I couldn’t wait to get my degree so I could be finished with school and join the real world. I remember counting down to our big Europe trip feeling like it would never roll around, and then the same with our wedding, which we spent 11 exciting months planning. In general I feel like I’ve spent a lot of my life wishing for things, and fortunately many of those things eventually happened, but it just never felt fast enough. But why the rush? It’s not like life is some giant fast food chain, and all we need to do is drive past the window and collect.

Sometimes the things we have to wait for and earn are the ones we appreciate most. And as I always say, looking forward to something and the anticipation of what’s to come is the best part of all. It gives us hope, joy and something to strive towards. And since childhood things have changed a little… these days we are firmly in the clutches of frantic adulthood and these days one can’t help but exclaim “Whaaat, Christmas again? No way!” Or perhaps currently more fittingly “Not rates time again, surely?!” The older we get, the faster it all seems, the more hectic our lives become and perhaps the blurrier the memories get… and maybe that’s why it’s all a bit of a haze when you look back from your rocking chair.

Try explaining that to a child though. It’s a known fact that an adult’s perspective of time and a child’s are totally different – what may seem like a few minutes to us can seem like a painful eternity to a child. Children live for the moment and enjoy what they have, but also have a childish greed for the good things to come. We should never lose that. Whilst patience is a virtue, excitement and happiness are equally important spices required to inject vital ingredients into the big soup pot we call our lives. If only everyone could hold onto their mojo and joie de vivre, the world would be a happier place.

So what am I trying to say? Time is a funny old thing. Treasure it, and don’t wish it away. Enjoy the happy lead up to things, but remember the old adage that “This too shall pass” if you happen encounter a particularly rough patch in your life. We all do at some point, and we all get through it. Sometimes with a little (or a lot of) help from our friends, partner, fiancé or husband. But remember if things are bad, they won’t always feel that way. Time is pretty good at washing away the sting, just as it is brilliant at bringing new and happy moments our way. And just because someone else you know seems to have it all on the outside, the reality might be very different on the inside. The grass isn’t always greener. It’s important to be happy with what we have.

Time isn’t something we can control, but it is something we can use to our advantage, make the most of and get the best out of. It’s just a matter of making it count!

 

“How did it get so late so soon?” – Dr. Seuss

“I think that it’s a crime to say you are bored when time is so precious” – Karl Lagerfeld