Time

Sometimes, time passes quickly. It's December 26th--where has the year gone? I'm on 2011 blog post number 362. That sure felt like it added up fast. And by the way, how can it be 2012 already? I remember when we finished up with the '90s and it seemed like a big deal.

Here's what's playing in my head right now--I love this song.

Why does it feel like forever when you're waiting in line at Chipotle to have your burrito made but when it's your turn, everybody's hands are moving like lightning and the coordination is perfect? Suddenly, you're halfway to your car in the parking lot.

Yesterday, I spent nine hours with my family celebrating the holidays. The 1-1/2-hour drive there and back felt longer than the span we spent eating, talking and laughing.

Does life feel different when you're 6 from when you're 60? I've been one and am almost the other, yet I can't really say. A Sunday working on the project for social studies in the 6th grade is interminable but a week at a college campus playing chamber music flies by.

It must have something to do with our perception. As an English major and not a scientist (or a philosopher) I can't say what that might be. Maybe your level of consciousness is somehow involved. Then it can become a matter of increasing your awareness of yourself and the world around you to get the maximum enjoyment and value out of life. Uh oh, we're slipping into scary territory, because it's very hard to say what our purpose of living at all is, and who wants to imagine it over? We're just here. But just maybe, we have something to do here.

I don't know, but I do know I've been very busy, and that doesn't seem to be in danger of letting up soon. That gives life a pleasurable density and a sense of momentum. And I've started to refer to my future as "the third third." That seems to limit me to 90 years, though--that may not be a good idea. 8-)

Time: Milestones and What's Next at Blog Post 200

This is my 200th blog post. The first was on October 12, 2007, but I averaged 7 posts a year in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. This is the 169th of 2011. I committed myself to producing something daily--so here we are.

Is 200 a big deal? It makes me think of other milestones. How about birthdays? Are we celebrating the fact that you were born on a particular day or the fact that you've accumulated all those years? Why would a 50th be especially significant? Because we said it is.

Anniversaries? My 22nd wedding anniversary is about a month away. On that day, and leading up to it, I can remember my happy wedding day, and perhaps remember milestones along the way. And, I get the benefit of being married to my wife for 22 years--not a small thing in itself. This is a little different from a birthday because it represents commitment and some work to keep it going. My birth had nothing to do with me--I just showed up--but my marriage does.

I know that in my life I've been looking for the "next." That meant everything from the first penny of the year (I got my first 2011 one three days ago) to the new cars every year (I've followed the annual model changes since the 1964's rolled out) and even the next issue of Spider-Man (well, this was significant when I was reading these in the 1960s). These "next" incidents are outside of me, but it is fun to watch them appear. I had ten wonderful years gathering the 50 State Quarters, too. But there was no real accomplishment to these activities, although I have some slim blue albums full of metal discs on my shelf today. The comic books are long gone.

Next February, I'll mark 20 years of writing weekly automotive colums. Also in 2012, I'll hit the 1,000th test car. Now those are some happy numbers, aren't they? I just did it a week at a time and it added up. But it still feels different from collecting coins.