I remember when time seemed to stretch into the future like a never-ending highway. Looking into the rearview mirror today, I sometimes wish I had relished those precious moments more.
But I was young and in a hurry to get to the next big moment. Back then, I didn’t think much about the passage of time. How naive I was to believe in the mirage of an endless summer. Sadly, it was not.
Before long, the passage of time began to accelerate, only briefly pausing to allow me to acknowledge significant moments—a wedding, the birth of a baby, the passing of a loved one. Life is short, I began to think. But is it?
Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca suggested, “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.” As I begin my 74th orbit around the sun on this little blue marble in space, I now understand the wisdom in those words.
I imagine what it would be like and where I would be if I had used every moment I had on something worthwhile, if I had not procrastinated instead of taking action, if I had made better decisions. I have also learned that a well-lived life has many facets, including love, joy, disappointment, and sadness—and I’ve experienced them all.
Yes, I am older today, but I am also more awake and conscious than ever. Life does that sometimes.
It’s been a fascinating ride on this superhighway of life. I’ve seen many beautiful places and loved them all. (Egypt—you are calling me now.) I’ve learned the importance and privilege of having a strong, loving, and supportive family. I’ve had amazing mentors and friends who have patiently shepherded me along. I’ve had astonishing experiences I never dreamed I could have.
I’ve experienced ecstatic moments of joy and a time when I fell to my knees in grief and sadness, not knowing what the future held. Yet, miraculously, I was guided out of my “dark night of the soul” to renew my love affair with living.
And so, I find myself here, in the winter of my life, with a deep appreciation and gratitude for each new morning that comes my way.
On my desk, where I see it every day, I keep a reminder from Marcus Aurelius:
“You could leave life right now.
Let that determine what you do and say and think.”
Marcus had the right idea.
