Time flies so by
Wow. I was reminded by a glaringly yellow SpongeBob Squarepants party invitation that next week is grandpup Andreas' birthday. Hard to imagine the little tyke walking and talking now; it seems as though just yesterday he was gurgling and cooing in his carrier. Same for baby Kane and eldest grandpup Cody. In my mind's eye I still see Cody hugging his momma's leg for security while at the same time viewing a photo of him, handsome and tall, adorned in his school shirt.
What happened? When did these children grow? It has been said that the older you become, the faster time seems to pass. I believe it may have more to do with absence than with aging. Perhaps when you don't have contact with a person for some passage of time, the contrast between reality and memory-induced perception is profound, especially so when you are older and thus nearer to and more acutely aware of your own mortality.
For most of us, I suppose the passing of time is something mysterious and for others perhaps a bit troubling. It amazes me that snippets of time from years ago hold memories so vivid, so powerful that they have played a role in defining who I am. I feel both young and old and cannot define what age means, other than the fact that as age increases, it is self-limiting; the older you get the sooner you will pass.
Tempus fugit, Carpe diem, and so on, and so forth. All I know for sure is that occasions like birthday parties or family get-togethers are good things, because although they don't stop time, for just a little while they stop us in time.