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Don't Blink

Is life really going faster these days? It sure seems like it to me. Is it because we're too busy? Or is a second just not what it used to be? Whatever it is, if you blink it's almost gone.

When I was a kid, the days seemed to go on forever. Not anymore. One of my theories is that since each day becomes an increasingly smaller part of the life we've lived, that each day seems to go by faster. Then again, I have a friend who makes a good case that the earth really is spinning faster.

Well, my oldest is now 16 and driving like a mad woman. And my youngest will turn 8 in about a week. The fact that a lot of my life has passed me by is staring me in the face.

One of the things I like about (some) country songs is that they get you to refocus on the important things in life. A new one by Kenny Chesney is called Don't Blink. It starts like this:
I turned on the evening news
Saw a old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what's the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said "All I can say is."

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink
I feel like I've been blinking too much. So every time I hear Kenny Chesney's song now, it'll remind me. Life may still go as fast as it's always gone, but at least more of it will have been spent doing more important stuff, such as playing ball with the kids before they grow up and move out of the house.
Naw, don't blink
Life Goes Faster Than You Think
Don't Blink...
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Comments

  1. Urban Koda10/19/2007 07:49:00 AM

    Now there's a cheery post to start the weekend off with!!

    I have a friend with a different theory on life that I think might apply to this as well...

    As kids we lived in the moment... The past was done, and we really didn't to worry much about the future.

    Now, the present seems the furthest thing from our minds (at least mine) we worry about consequences of stuff we have done, things we need to prepare for, problems we might face, etc. etc. etc.

    I suspect that if we could shift into a lifestyle of living life in the present and leaving the past to itself and letting the cards for the future fall as they will, time may indeed seem to slow down a little...

    Better go, I have a ton of stuff to get done this weekend, and it seems like I'm running out of time to get everything lined up for it...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Scott Hinrichs10/19/2007 09:05:00 AM

    Remember that children's brains are not fully developed. Most people's brains finally achieve full judgment capacity when they are in their mid 20s. So, some of this is biological. Some is due to perspective. And a lot is due to how busy we are.

    As long as people are busy, time seems to flash by at breakneck speed. But I know plenty of elderly folks whose declining health no longer permits them to be busy. Although they may still enjoy judgment and perspective, they sit around day after day watching the minutes tick slowly by.

    I don't mean to imply that all busy-ness is good. We could all probably find ways to improve the way we use time, which is one of our most precious resources.

    ReplyDelete

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