2025 – can you believe it?
What will the year bring?
It’s funny how time means something different with each year we age. When I started school, I was six years old. Time meant almost nothing to me. I didn’t care when I woke up in the morning. I knew the routine – get out of bed, go to the kitchen to eat my breakfast, go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash up, go to the bedroom to get dressed, then head to school.
I don’t remember ever watching the clock to see when it was time to do something other than what I was doing. I don’t remember watching the clock, anticipating the end of the day in school, and the return home. Things just happened as they happened – the adults were the ones watching the clock and telling me what I needed to do or where I needed to be.
As the years went by, there was a time when clock-watching started to be important to me. I remember watching the clock to see how much time was left before heading home from school. Time was important when there was something planned, and I needed to be somewhere. Those were my schooling years, and the older I got, the more important time started to become. Even through my schooling years, time never seemed overly important, but I know I kept track of it because, starting at about age 12, I needed to be at work right after school.
For many years, after graduation, clock-watching was something necessary, but only to be on time for things that were happening – mostly for work. We all watch the time. We all know we need to be on time for things – things like sporting events, movies, weddings, funerals, appointments, even meals – the list goes on and on – everything is determined by time.
During my career, I recall thinking about retirement – it seemed so far away during my early working days. When you’re thirty years old and plan to retire at 65, you have 35 years left, and it seems a long way off. Then you hit your forties – you still have a quarter of a century until you can retire, a long way away. I think I felt I was getting closer to retirement when I reached 50, but it was still 15 years, and it still felt like a long wait. Then 60 came knocking on my door. When that happened, there were only five years left. I started to wonder if I had done enough planning for my retirement – probably way too late to start wondering about it, but wonder, I did.
Before I knew it, retirement was right around the corner, and I started wondering where all the time went. I admit once I decided to retire at 65, I felt like I was counting the days and started looking forward to that change in my life. No more daily routines and way fewer responsibilities – what I did with my days would be done through my planning. Or so I thought.
It turns out it wasn’t long before I felt compelled to find part-time work. The extra money always comes in handy for bill paying, and having fun and working again made me feel more useful. So, my time isn’t always my own, but I do have the freedom to not go to work if there are other things planned.
I still watch the clock – so I can be on time for my tee times, doctor appointments, or any of many things that start and end at a certain time.
Something about time-watching has changed. There are days I find myself looking at the calendar in my brain and wondering how many days I have left, wanting to be sure to take advantage and make the best of the time I have left.
There is no question that time means something different when someone is past that retirement age than it did during the very early years of a person’s life.
2025 – may it bring you memories to cherish for the rest of your life, happiness, and health!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
