Time to wax poetic about a new year, the passing of time and
a new pledge…
I continue to find it fascinating how time actually
accelerates as we age. It just seems as
though each year goes by faster than the previous… which flies right in the
face of the laws of astrophysics as the Earth's rotation is actually slowing
slightly with time. Atomic clocks show that a modern day is longer by about 1.7
milliseconds than a century ago.
What the cosmic hell? I was sure we were moving faster.
Perhaps it’s the markers in our lives that give us temporal
reference:
Our kids…
watching my son grow what appears to be about an inch every
week or so gives me pause. As does his burgeoning wit and maturity. It seems
his comedic timing becomes more polished everyday. Last week I was cleaning up
a poopy diaper, this week I’m belly laughing at his humor-injected diatribe on
what gauge gun is most appropriate to take down a “2,000 lb buck”.
Our pets…
watching my old pal Tucker struggle through the doggy
realization that he can’t even walk a mile without a struggle anymore. Just a
couple of years ago he was charging in the backcountry with me through deep
powder. Now he finds it tough to slog his back end up the stairs. One day in
the not so distant future he will be gone. And I/we will be heartbroken. My 13 years with him a fleeting memory.
Our seasons…
Wait, we’re already half way through winter? It seems as
though yesterday we were looking for relief from the 95* blazing sun and this
morning I’m scraping ice off my windshield. Tomorrow it will be Spring and then
Summer will be next week. Can you say Fast Times at Lifetime High?
Our calendars…
Perhaps its because as we age our responsibilities increase
and our calendars fill up like your belly on Thanksgiving Day. Hustle and bustle creates a fast forward
environment… always planning and shuffling to and from the next event.
Time hovers over all of us, imposing its will.
If you distil down all that we know as a species… time is
actually one of the only constants in life. It goes on, with or without us. No
matter your religious or political sways, time plods along; the seconds
consistently ticking by while the rest of the universe dances on the ebb and
flow of chaos and order.
There is no way to stop time or even pause it. But perhaps
there are a few ways to combat the perceived perception of this fleeting
journey…
Time to be more engaged in life with the people you value. Make
time for these people. Go on dates with your spouse. Go camping with your kids.
Less television and video games. More meals together. More road trips. More
adventures together.
Time to step away from social media and the narcissism of
the gratuitous “look at me” selfie. We know how cool your life is. Go live it.
Time to cull the toxic people from your environment. We all
have at least 1 or 2. They pull at your bandwidth. They take you away from the
things that are precious. Time is too precious for that.
Time to sit less and stand more. Be outside more than
inside. If it’s cold… put more clothes on. Run through the trees and tromp
through the creeks.
Time to seek out new adventure. Use your passport. Eat weird
food. Pick up a new sport. Take on a new hobby.
The dusty old New Year resolution is so 20th
century. It’s time to make a pledge. This is a promise to you. You are
accountable for your pledge and seeing it through.
My pledge(s):
I pledge to be a better human. A better spouse. A better
father. A better son. A better brother. A better teammate.
I pledge to try 6 things that scare the shit out of me.
I pledge to attempt at least 6 things this year that will
most likely end in failure.
All of us at No Barriers have agreed to take the
pledge. It’s your turn…
http://www.nobarriersusa.org/take-the-pledge/
Once we appreciate the value of time we are better equipped
to manage it.
Time will pass by this year just as fast as it did last
year…but I pledge to be more proactive in how I live in it.
“Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to
waste.”
-Bonnie
Raitt
