Turns out they were right: Lessons learned with age

February is my birthday month, and with that comes reflection (and no I will not divulge my upcoming age). There have been several things in life I have been told as a child that has rung true and some, not so much. 

I recall math teachers telling us that we are not allowed to use a calculator because we won’t always carry a calculator with us. Apparently, cellular phones were not in their purview. 

The majority of what I have been told, however, has proven true from my perspective. I have been told by older people ad nauseum that the older you get, time goes faster. What used to illicit an eye roll when I was 13 years old now produces astonishment as the months roll by at a record pace. Is it because our lives get busier, we have more responsibilities? I don’t have an answer for that, but I can guarantee it is true that time goes faster the older you get. 

Another one I had wished I had taken to heart at the time is to enjoy school because it goes by quickly and it is over before you know it. If by the small chance anyone in high school is reading this column, please treasure your school memories and your friends. The party will end, and your friends will disband and be spread out across the state or country faster than you think.

 One lesson I am glad I learned quite fast I think is to live in the moment and don’t take anything for granted, particularly when it comes to social experiences. I take the time whether at a family gathering, with a friend group or anyone you love to pause, look around and appreciate the moment and capture it. Be self-aware. You could be on a beach on vacation, at a concert, at a holiday party, wherever, but remove yourself for a minute to take in that moment in time because it is fleeting. 

I will leave you with one more that sometimes may be hard to put into practice but one we must think about is to be respectful because you never know what a person is going through in their life. This may sound obvious, but I think it really means think before you react with strangers or acquaintances. We have all had days where things were not going so well, perhaps starting the day off with a car that won’t start or suffering grief from a death in the family. This could be that day for any random pedestrian, customer, or person we interact with on any given day. Hold the door for someone, pay it forward in a drive thru or simply smile at a passerby, it might just be the thing they need or even you need to feel better about yourself. Put as much positivity as possible in the world. 

As I prepare to turn the page on another year of life, I’d like to give thanks to those who have attempted to guide me over the years with lessons such as these. Perhaps they cannot be understood until you are there yourself, perhaps a younger mind can’t process the wisdom quite yet. For me, it all becomes clearer each year, and I urge all to get a head start.