speed of time

I remember older people saying that time sped by faster as you aged and now of course I know what they meant. My husband told me once that our experience of the speed of time is in direct relationship to how long we have lived.  When you are 10 years old a year is a tenth of your total age so the school year drags on and summer takes a long time to arrive. When you are 50 years old a year is just a 50th of your age and years go by much faster. Add more years and you can see how this makes a difference. Think about a preschooler being told that their birthday is "just  a month or two away." For the child it will seem like ages and they may ask everyday if the time has come. The same amount of time will flash by for their grandparents who will have to be ready to celebrate on a moment's notice because one day they have two months to prepare and in what might seem like just the next day they have to rush or they will be late!
My mother was once very distressed because a neighbor cut down a hedge that had given her backyard much desired privacy. I remember telling her that the other plants and trees would fill in the open area in no time but she responded that it would not grow back in her lifetime. We sold that house when my mom was no longer able to live there by herself but I am sure if I went back the gap from the missing hedge would be filled in and my mom is still living. In fact for me, it seems like that event was only five years ago when really, it was more like ten.
The speed of time is what pushes at elders to make a difference while they still can; making some people act a little obnoxious or pushy. When people over 50 or 60 hear that the climate is changing and the window of time to make a difference is just 5 or 10 or even 25 years, there is either a sense of real urgency to do something or else they may express a pitiful resignation because "there is not enough time" to do anything. Younger people experiencing time in a less urgent way don't often hear the message in the same way. They may think that there is plenty of time to come up with a solution so they keep on living as usual. This differing experience of time is why it is extremely important for generations to converse about important issues. It is critical that elders make the changes they see as needed whether or not they think they will be around to see any results from their efforts.Talk will not have the same impact as example. But it is also why younger people who begin to make changes at a younger age must be encouraged when visible results don't come as quickly as they expect.
I work with an incredible elder, old enough to be my father... a young father but old enough nonetheless. He is closer to 90 than 80 and still has the capacity and desire to make significant changes in his life. In fact, I believe that capacity is what keeps him young in mind and body. He walks an hour everyday and reads and reads and reads. When I transitioned to a vegan diet, he watched the movies I loaned him and read the materials I sent and now we converse about how to cook tempeh or tofu and what sauces to use for various meals. He inspires me to keep going. If he can change, then I can.
At the same time I think of young people in their 20's or 30's who have already caught on to the need to live differently. I was encouraged to get the DVD Cowspiracy from a young woman who is dedicated to youth ministry and service to the poor. She rides her bike everywhere. She is conscious of her lifestyle choices and works to keep her environmental footprint on the very low side of the scale. When I think about how elevated her consciousness is compared to where I was at her age I am amazed and a bit sad that I was so unaware. She also inspires me to keep going, too keep learning and changing and rejoicing at being alive.
We each are given just a bit of time in the life of the universe and while we are moving through at various speeds we are all going the same direction. It makes sense to travel as lightly and compassionately as possible, and as open as we can be to the wisdom of others.