"where does the time go"

Recently my grandmother stated, “Where does the time go?” when commenting on how much the children and young of the family had grown. This memo tends not to think of that as a rhetorical question that has no answer or is unanswerable. This memo tries to answer ‘where the time goes’ and the unfortunate answer to that question is forward.

The beatific and simultaneously the unfortunate aspect of life is that it moves on. That in the end, no matter if your experiences have been positive or negative, in a moments notice they are behind you. [And] Whether you are prepared or not, a new challenge, a new moment is in front of you garnering your full attention. This is why in life, each moment, each challenge, and each experience must be respected and cherished; insomuch, that it’s a learning opportunity for future ventures. Life is a never-ending accumulation of experiences preceded only by previous experiences.

Like a solider marching, or a track star running, or even possibly a car traveling a great distance; life and time move forward irrespective of the ground, trail, or road traveled. Whether it’s a bumpy trail, desolate road, or smooth path that experience is over and like a solider, track star, or car we have to emotionally and mentally move on and have to with maximum effort. Maintaining our goals and aspirations and how to accomplish them, while cognizant of our past. [Because] We cannot afford to look backwards -- in doing so we cannot properly march and move forward properly. Nevertheless, we must reflected and remember to keep those lessons attained in the past as reminders of the mistakes and victories of yesterday. Take for example a four star general that started his career in the military as a private first-class. At every moment you are striving to be the best at that moment, while wearing badges on you exterior (uniform) for victories and courage and on your person (scars) that are reminders of battles survived. But most importantly, in the present we must make the best out of every moment, despite its quality or difficulty. [And] Remember only the complacent think ‘time is on our side (literally)’. Time is the drum beat upon we march our life forward.

Do time and life necessarily converge? That is, do they progress simultaneously and incrementally, converging to an eventual end? I think not. One’s life has some many oscillations that one can never be completely comfortable with their position or circumstance. Because no one knows what tomorrow may bring! But time is an unwavering pulse. It moves on and wipes away those things of the past as fast as they came to fruition. And what it promises is a tomorrow, despite your participation or appearance in it, time will move on.

Where does the time go? It definitely goes forward -- thank goodness. When we are going through a tumultuous time or celebrative time, life promises us that our next experience(s) will be different and that the future holds a chance for us to rectify those mistakes in the past by future actions or duplicate those successes. Thank goodness for second chances, thank goodness for time, but most importantly thank goodness for our ability to learn, comprehend and transformed during our time on Earth.