Time has flown away

By CAROL PERKINS

EDMONTON — The New Year is near and once again, I don’t know where Time went. Seems as if all of us were discussing a new century and then SWISH- nine years have gone by. When I was young, Time stood still, moving like a turtle with me on its back. Not anymore.

Time was once not as fleeting. Sometimes, it even dragged along, especially those endless days of school, moving in and out of classes to bells every hour. The time between summer and fall was also much longer. Seasons now blend into each other. I barely get out my winter clothes until it is time to put them away.

The longest day/night of the year was Christmas Eve. As a child, I never wanted to go to bed and when I did, I couldn’t sleep. Each sound was sure to be Santa or a reindeer. Even when my own kids were little, it was a long night because we would usually buy something that had to be put together, which could not be done until the kids were asleep. They, too, wiggled and giggled and listened for Santa. One year Guy nearly saw daylight after putting together a kitchen set and a bicycle. I crashed before he finished. By the time he hit the bed, they were jumping on it for us to get up.

Christmas was once a time for inviting friends over to enjoy a game of cards or just to sit around and talk about old times. I haven’t done that in years. I run out of time before I have time to make a plan.

When I was teaching, I never put up the tree until the day we got out of school. My neighbors were the only ones who put theirs up after Thanksgiving, which I thought that was really strange. Now, I do the same. If I don’t get it up early, I won’t have time to enjoy it. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas have commercially run together, and we don’t have time to enjoy one without rushing to the other. By the time we get to Christmas, we have all but forgotten the purpose because we’re too tired from rushing like madmen.

When I do slow down and take time for myself, I am constantly thinking of what I should be doing. I may be my own boss, but I am employed by schedules. I don’t even take time to get my allergy shots every week. How could I let myself forget something so important?

I have a few promises I have made to myself for the coming year, concerning time.

Slow down. I am kidding myself when I think I will, but I really do want to slow down and take time for myself. What do I need? Time to relax. Time to read. Time to have a manicure or pedicure or my hair done. I need time to think. Time to have a conversation with my mother, my brother, visit my relatives, and even have long talks with my husband who is sometimes the one who gets the least amount of my time. I want time to finish the two biographies I have begun. I need more time to spend with my children and their children. I guess I am afraid that if I slow down, I will stop. Stopping makes me nervous.

I actually want time to watch TV. “Project Runway” is one of my favorites but I missed the finale. I know I can catch it in rerun, but that would mean I would have to “catch” it. I hear people talk about their favorites and I don’t have the faintest idea about the shows. My friends love “Grey’s Anatomy.” Never seen it. “Desperate Housewives” Never seen it. There was a time when I looked forward to weekly shows like “Dallas,” but now I don’t even know what is on TV. Some might say I am better off for it, but watching TV can be a time to relax, and I need some relaxation. I knew I was too busy when I gave up soap operas years ago and quit Oprah and Dr. Phil.

I need time to do nothing. Even though I am not good at doing nothing, but I would like to learn the art of spending a day doing nothing at all. I hear a few of my friends talk about sitting in their recliners, covering up with a quilt, and reading all day and into the night. That would be wonderful, but I am sure I would end up out of that chair and cleaning something.

The New Year will find me, hopefully, in a more tranquil state. Maybe I will breathe deeply and exhale slowly and try to catch Time. Maybe I will finally be able to look at the clock and not have to be somewhere. I am going to try to relax. Maybe if I learn to do that, Time won’t be like a gigantic kite with me holding on to the tail, swishing through life.

Carol Perkins columns are regularly found Friday’s on the Daily Times advice and features page. It is printed here today because the Daily Times will not print on Friday.

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