On Time
The concept of time is mystifying, and mildly terrifying, when you think about how quickly it goes. More so, it’s difficult to segment time in a way that is not overwhelming, but measurable. As to make sense of our 90 years of existence (God willing!) we need to create seasons to structure our lives so we’re not just seemingly floating through space on our way to the finish line. And in our early years, we do! I’ll explain.
The first five years of our lives are in pure dependency with little conscious decision making. Then we start Elementary School until we’re about 10 years old. The next step is Middle School for 6th, 7th and 8th grade which boasts the awkward pre-pubescent era before High School, the last 4-year block to ride out the rest of your teens. Then finally! College, the famous coming-of-age cornerstone…another 4 years of self-exploration and a taste of liberty. But then, right after college graduation we get hit with, “BOOM…real world”.
Up until the age of about 21/22 years old, most of our lives are set up with very defined chapters and we intentionally flow through each with clear expectations for how much time will be spent here before moving on to the next. And because each “school” has a similar timeline we develop a natural cadence for the seasons of our youth. Where it gets challenging is the dropoff right after college when we enter this mythical “real world”; it seems like the dress rehearsal is over and now it’s time for this 60-year span of just life.
To many young adults, including myself, this prospect can be distressing and disorienting. How much time do I have to be single? How much time do I spend grinding to start my career? When should I actually get married and start a family? How long should I wait before buying a house, etc? And those are all questions with highly subjective answers which only we ourselves can give.
I suppose that’s the essence of maturity in adulthood- there’s no one here anymore to structure my time or tell me how long I need to spend in a particular season. We get to do that now. Again, this can be overwhelming, but also liberating. First off, don’t take anything as a life sentence. The only guarantee in life is change. Secondly, have clear goals and intentions for each season. Make your efforts about the pursuit of an achievement or end goal, not just putting in the time. Lastly, take the pressure off and enjoy the journey. One thing I’ve noticed in adulthood is the days go by slowly, but the years go by fast. Take the scenic route, be intentional and focus on one step in front of the other.