Braking For Time

Time, I would like to slam on the brakes of time, why does it seem to spin faster and faster. Driving to my parents in the final days of June I had one of those memory moments. Passing through local towns with that spring smell, the smell that signals the last days of school and you can't help being carried back to those times. Starting to realize you are becoming an adult, the places where you hang out, going swimming with friends, parties, final school dances, getting through exams. You are at the beginning of your adult life and sadly most are too young to understand the full excitement of it. Where did all those people go, most moved away, some married, had children and sadly some left us all too early. In my mind all these people are still teenagers, frozen in their school age image, until I bump into one of them and see the results of time on their faces. I snap back to the present and I am a man dreaming of those past days, on his way to see his parents, two people who are elderly now, how did that happen. I miss those days but time spins on, hmmm end of June, it is the middle of July already, please time slow down.

I was invited to a back yard party with Dave last week, no wait it was the week before, how did it go by so fast, please time slow down. There were mostly people our age, a few older and younger as well. They had great food, dancing and everyone had a nice time. However as the clock began to tick towards nine, everyone began to say good bye. People packed up their belongings and loaded their cars. It was not even dark yet and there were to be fireworks later plus more food, at one time we would have stayed until at least midnight. However now there are too many commitments, some had to get up and work the next day, some had left the kids at home with a baby sitter and some said they need to be in bed by ten or the next day would be shot. There were some people who planned on staying but then felt odd about it and so decided to leave as well. Dave was getting sleepy as he is an early riser and so we also left. I couldn't help comment on the way home, when did this happen, when did we get old. Please time slow down, everything is changing so fast now, that you are making me dizzy. I can't help think how hard it must have been for my Grand Parents, time changed but also the world changed from when they were little, no electricity or running water to DVD players and computers. No wonder my last Grandparent, my Grandmother said that she was not bothered if her time came soon, she did not want to live much longer because everyone she knew had passed away and she felt alone, saying when she died, then she could rejoin them in Heaven. Granny was over a hundred and passed away a few months after this statement, alert and active until the very day.

I feel sorry for the cool hippies from the sixties who talk about colouring their gray hair, about taking viagra and wearing depends. I feel sorry for me and my friends, we see that is coming for us one day. How long has it been since Madonna released her first album, ten years, no wait it is.... crap that long! When did the Breakfast Club become one of those movies people scoff at. How long has it been since Ghost Busters! My friend's little boy that I used to babysit from time to time, has his birthday coming up, wow how old will he be now... maybe 13... no wait yikes 14... what's that... turning twenty! I need to lie down, what happened to the Ninja Turtles, Lego and his Wrestling men! Oh I see they were replaced with a Mustang and a cute girl that giggles way too much.

Please time slow down you are spinning way too fast and you have me confused as to whether I have come a long way, or I have wasted so much of you... that I am still in the same place as that boy who walked out of High school for the last time, so many years ago.