I had a conversation with a customer the other day about the passage of time. You know, that uncanny but-you-know-it’s-true feeling that time goes faster the older you get? It really does. Remember waiting for summer vacation? Forever. Your birthday? Christmas? Fucking forever. Now? Shit, is tomorrow really Christmas? Has it really been a year? How in the hell is it October? SLOW DOWN!
She had a read an article about our perception of time and that to us, as we get older, it really does, well, fly by. But she said that it has been discovered that disrupting your routine (like taking summer vacation) will change a your perception of time. If you have something like a trip that you are excited about time slows to a crawl. As adults we are creatures of habit and if you live in the U.S. most likely you have only a two week (if you’re lucky) break in that routine.
So, I’m breaking from routine. Derailing my train. Well, not completely. I’m a total creature of habit, so breaking my routine means creating a new one to take it’s place. A different time table. One of my own making.
In two weeks my world shifts. This last month has taken FOREVER to pass. Time is crawling. Now, the downside of life slowing down? I now have PLENTY of time, or at least it seems like PLENTY to PANIC. Full on what-the-hell-are-you-thinking panic. Mouth going dry, brain doing schizoid things while you are trying to sleep panic. But I know this too shall PASS. Albeit slowly. I know that in one month I will be zooming along and life will be zinging past my window at a terrific pace. Then I will be 52. It will have been a year since I changed my course. My train will be speeding along a greased track.
So I plan on some pit stops along the way to slow my trip, enjoy the wine and the view. Sit back and RELAX.