stealing time
You don’t have to be in your golden years to realize that time flies by. I loved Kenny Chesney’s song in 2014, Don’t Blink. It talks about an interview with a man that had just turned 102. But what about the rest of us? As the summer continues to burn its way through the months we approach another school year. For those of you with children just starting, the ones that will have a high school or college graduate this year maybe you are feeling the burn of loss. Because regardless of where you are in life, time can be a thief!
in the beginning
When you are a child it may seem that time crawls by. You wait for that birthday party, those momentous milestones that indicate you are reaching adulthood. But for a parent the perspective is quite different. If you are a first time parent it is incredible how quickly time will pass. The first steps, that first tooth and of course the first time they call you mama or daddy. Time flies by and before you know it, they are getting their drivers license and thinking they really don’t need you any more.
approaching adulthood
Well you made it to the teen years. You’re driving, probably sure that you’ve got it all figured out, navigating the intricate roads of sexual awareness and being encouraged to make decisions about what college you’re going to try and get into. Life is good! Come on world!
Whilst in the background mom and dad are trying to figure out whether they’ve saved enough for college, did they instill the right values and will you make it past this hormonal challenge without making them a grandparent before they’re out of their 30’s. And at the same time wondering where that snaggle-toothed child disappeared to so quickly.
uh oh! you’re all grown up now
Fast forward a few years (it’s really been about 6 but who can count that fast?) You’re graduating college and everyone is expecting you to start a job, find a home and support yourself and of course you’ll now be responsible for making all your own decisions. WTH just happened? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was trying to figure out whether so and so liked me? I just learned to drive a car and now you want me to be responsible for my own life?
“I’ve been robbed!” Yep, you can run but you can’t hide. Time has done it again. Stolen those care free moments that seemed so plentiful. It’s time to be an adult.
the science of it all
We all know I love words. When I was in college one of the words that I learned was Homeostasis– Oxford defines it as:
ho·me·o·sta·sis
/ˌhōmēəˈstāsis,ˌhōmēəˈstasəs/
noun
the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
What that always meant to me is when everything is in balance within the body. In other words, everything is working as it should. Stages of life are like that. If you review what we’ve talked about above each of these moments are a part of life’s balance.
can we hide?
I know that I said you can run but you can’t hide, but can we? Do we? Can we thwart that evil thief of time?
Within the word, homeostasis you find stasis. That is defined as:
sta·sis
/ˈstāsəs/
nounFORMAL•TECHNICAL
1.
a period or state of inactivity or equilibrium.
“long periods of stasis”
. : a state of static balance or equilibrium : stagnation. b. : a state or period of stability during which little or no evolutionary change in a lineage occurs.
For our purposes the second definition probably says it best. The period of stability with no evolutionary changes.
I believe that most reach a point in their lives when things remain at a status quo. The cycle hasn’t begun for you. You make it through the day to day without feeling any whisper of change. There are no kids, no yardstick to measure what is surely leading up to another theft. It’s usually referred to as your twenties and possibly your early 30’s.
time sneaking up on you 
Time will only let you remain hidden for just so long. But in truth, human nature is an enabler. That cycle is going to start turning again. Nature requires that state of homeostasis for balance. Soon you marry, have kids of your own and start experiencing those woes and wonders that your parents did.
we’re in it together now
But wait! Now your parents are grandparents. You begin to see them a little differently. A few gray hairs, a wrinkle or two. The walk slowing a little. More of life’s balance.
Your kids get older and you do too. Suddenly you look up one day and that person you married is slowing down. (And don’t get me started with the one that is looking back at you in the mirror!)
Sometimes it takes a health crisis to make us realize what has been happening right in front of us. If you think about a person that embezzles from a company you envision them slowly syphoning off funds. A little at a time. That’s how time works. It races by stealing time so cleverly that it takes you a while to realize something is missing.
We all experienced a type of stasis when Covid hit. That particular demon stole almost 3 years of our lives. If you were in that particular stage of your life you may not have noticed the loss. But for some, who sit on the short end of life’s cycle that theft was and is significant.
what have we learned?
What does all of this mean? Well it probably depends on which segment you’re in. I think we all want to maintain a balance. For those of us on the other side, past the stage of stasis, we hopefully are taking more time to smell the roses. Enjoying each other and life as much as possible. Stop sweating the “small stuff”.
For those of you in the middle or coming out of hiding, my best advice is look up and around. If you’re lucky enough to still have your parents then reach out and spend a little more time. Maybe your kids don’t need so much stimulus as much as they need time with you. And that person you married? Hang on a little more tightly, Say I love you a little bit more. Because you never know when another robbery may occur. Because time is a thief.
(and here’s a little something [poem] I threw together a year ago. I hope you enjoy it.)
https://sassaleeyours.com/time-is-a-thief/
Sassaleeyours…