It starts when you\u2019re four years old. \u201cI can\u2019t wait until I\u2019m five and can get on the bus with the big kids and go to real school.\u201d It keeps going: can\u2019t wait until I\u2019m double numbers (10 years-old) \u2013 can\u2019t wait until I\u2019m sixteen and can drive the car \u2013 can\u2019t wait until I\u2019m eighteen and can vote \u2013 can\u2019t wait until I\u2019m 21 and can buy beer (legally for a change). Then you hit a \u201ctime neutral\u201d zone. No more of the \u201ccan\u2019t wait\u201d attitude. You are okay with how time is passing. <\/p>\n
The honeymoon comes to an end. Time passage starts to become an issue, but in reverse. You start the long slide into, \u201cOh my gosh; has it really been \u201cX\u201d years?\u201d It starts at your tenth, high school reunion, your first encounter with that \u201cGOSH; where did those ten years go?\u201d A whole bunch of 10-year markers come along: 10th wedding anniversary \u2013 10 years on the job \u2013 10 years in your house or apartment. It\u2019s like a swarm of mosquitoes, biting you from all sides. <\/p>\n
It ramps up: 20 years on the job \u2013 25th wedding anniversary \u2013 30-year class reunion. It\u2019s making you feel uneasy. This \u201cGosh I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s been that long\u201d thing is out of control. It becomes a crisis when 50 enters the picture. First, with a shock, you turn FIFTY! Then, it\u2019s your fiftieth class reunion, and you ask yourself, \u201cWho are these people?\u201d (These old people) Nametags are required reading for the first time. And, the lies come in handy too, \u201cOh, you look just like you did in high school. I\u2019d recognize you in a second.\u201d Lie, Lie! <\/p>\n
Now, you\u2019re desperate to slow it down. Exactly opposite of when you were fifteen, wishing it would pass so you could drive a car. But, it\u2019s too late. You get your wish from the past; time passes quickly. But, it doesn\u2019t just fly, it bolts along at warp speed. Your first-born turns 50! Your house turns 50. Your clothes turn too: that sweater is 22, those shoes are 35, that favorite shirt is 15. When will it end? But, deep down, you know when it will end, and you finally put stock in the adage, \u201cLive for today; it\u2019s all you\u2019ve got.\u201d (Sorry. I\u2019ll be more upbeat next week. I promise. I can\u2019t wait till it gets here.)<\/p>\n