Where does the Time go?

First Published 13 October 2022

I’m sure it doesn’t feel that long since the start of 2022 – I had 4 weddings to look forward to, I was asked to present at a conference at the tail end of the year (thinking I’ve got plenty of time to work out what I am going to say), I was going to finally get away for a holiday after the nonsense of the last few years… and I was going to get my spare room decluttered and converted in to a more useable space!

Well, here we are in October, there’s only about 10 weeks left to go in the year.  I have one wedding left to attend (tomorrow), my presentation is all set for Saturday (huge logistical challenges as the wedding is too far away to get back to my desk in time), holiday was fun but exhausting and I haven’t even made a dent in the progress of the spare room!

I remember as a kid I spent time wishing the days away – to the next school holiday, until I was old enough to learn to drive, until the exams were over, and I am sure for many more things too.

I don’t remember stopping and taking time to just be.  Yes, I’d love to be a teenager again and still fit in to some of my old clothes (regardless of whether I was ever fashionable…).  I’d love to go back to my uni days, when the part time job was a breeze in comparison to some of the jobs I have had since.  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to go back and spend some time with friends we have lost touch with over the years or even to spend time with loved ones who are no longer with us? And wouldn’t it be fun to go back to some of the sightseeing places and see them for the first time all over again? 

I’d like to think I would appreciate them more with hindsight – although, I am not sure that I would.

I think I am going to be a little more conscious and or appreciative over the weekend of the sights I am going to see, the people I am going to spend time with – and hopefully all the yummy food I am going to enjoy.  

When was the last time you stopped to look around and appreciate where you are in life and who you are sharing your life with?  There is always something to be appreciative of, even if you might have to look beyond the surface to find it…

I’d love to hear of times where you have paused to take stock – did you have any dawning realisations?  Any lightbulb moments?  Do head to the comments to tell me all about them!