If our lives were on video tape
Have you ever thought about what you would do if your life was on video tape? Just hit rewind and have a do-over? Would you delete portions of the tape or fast forward out of those regrettable moments? There are so many times I wish it was that simple. Viewing our lives with 20/20 hindsight would make editing much easier, but alas, the tape keeps rolling.
New scenario. What if you could slow life down and enjoy the good times longer. A little slo mo at just the right moments like a wedding, a birth, graduation, or vacation while speeding through the tough times like cancer recovery, a death, sleepless nights or a divorce. Manipulating time to our advantage might make hanging around until we are 100 years old, worth the trip.
Does time speed up when we are anticipating a momentous occasion and drag when we are dreading a difficult life change? In our 60's does time move faster than it did when we were 10 and it seemed like an endless summer? Our parents told us repeatedly not to be in a hurry to grow up and yet it was agonizingly slow until we were considered adults. Now we look back and have a hard time believing that not only are we adults, but we are seniors demanding our senior discount and filing for social security.
Logically time is relative. Although it is an eternity until Santa comes down the chimney on Christmas eve, it is a quick trip from the cradle to the grave. The old saying "stop and smell the roses" doesn't actually stop time, but it encourages us to think of time as moments we can choose to slow down. On the other hand, I am not familiar with any sayings that prompt us to skip ahead. On the contrary, it's usually one day at a time, or one foot in front of the other as if the journey were designed to be a lengthy one.
I suppose the best advice here is to remember that without a bad day we would not appreciate (or need) to slow down and smell the roses on the good day. Living each day, for what it is worth, is really the only option left to us. So I guess we make the most of every day, good or bad, better or worse, sickness or health, fortune or poverty, but ultimately it is one day at a time.
What would you do if your life was on video tape?
Images: flickr image by grilled cheese
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