I love this quote. It expresses my feelings exactly! My days, though not often stressful, still seem long. I’m tired at the end of them, and I frequently feel that I didn’t accomplish all I’d hoped. In particular, my personal projects lag behind my expectations.
And yet! The weeks, months, and years fly by. Everyone notices. “I can’t believe it’s already May,” I hear, as I walk about the hospital. The year is already scheduled out. I’m working on September’s call calendar for the primary care clinic. We already know dates for vacation through December. Soon Rob and I will be discussing our work availability for fall months. Where does it go? And how does it go so quickly?
I remember my dad saying to me that time seems to speed up as we get older. Well, he was right, and I suppose most people recognize that reality. There’s some magical element to time. For little ones, it does move slowly. Excruciatingly slowly. I’m long past that stage. The years are short.
Well, there’s no changing it. I suppose the only thing to do is accept, and be ever-more thoughtful about how I spend my long days, and my short years. This is one of those realities that everyone knows, even acknowledges, yet few address. I think most of us just move through life. I have moments of great clarity. And then I get lost again, caught up in the day-to-day.
Here’s to the long days. May they be productive for us all! And here’s to the short years, which we cannot lengthen. May they be memorable! And thank you, Gretchen, for stating so succinctly, so profoundly, what we all know at heart:
“The days are long, but the years are short.”
Grace and Life 
That’s a very profound quote. I never really thought of it that way.
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Me either, and I was happy to pass along the quote! I experience this all the time…my days seem so long, but the months fly by! ~ Sheila
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I have so many things I want to accomplish and every day provides new ideas and I think I would need a thousand years to do it all and do it well. Wow. Inspiring post for sure.
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Oh Renee, you are the inspiration! Your novel writing goals and month of blog posts show that you have real discipline and can really come through when you make a commitment! I try to fulfill my commitments too, but I haven’t yet been able to make my blogging or other forms of writing conform to a schedule! Not sure if I just haven’t tried hard enough or what! But I’m working at finding the fine line between discipline and creativity, and learning how to harness the two forces (hopefully to my advantage!) ~ Sheila
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It is amazing how much more quickly time passes as we age. Remember in elementary school, a weekend seemed like such a long time? Christmas vacation was forever? And summer vacation was endless?? Now it’s Monday before I even realize Friday’s gone. (Of course, since I don’t hold down a job, it really doesn’t matter.)
Enjoyed this post. Such truth.
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Dianna, I agree! I usually find myself amazed on Friday that another week has gone by in a blur! I am on a never ending quest to slow down and be in control of my time. Not that I think I’m unique…I think this is the common plight of modern day humans…we are on the fast track and can’t seem to get off without a lot of angst and effort! ~ Thank you for sharing! ~ Sheila
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So true!… So I am trying to take one day at a time and make it the best I can…Not always exciting…but, a day I can look at with a note …”I didn’t waste it!” ~ mkg
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Your posts always sound like you have found the secret to enjoying each day! You obviously put a lot of time and effort into your family and that’s wonderful. We don’t have any family near us, and although we are working on an eventual relocation, I sometimes feel that my days are too full of the hectic and busy stuff, less full of the truly important things/people in life! Well, it’s all about finding balance, isn’t it?! ~ Sheila
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Oh, how I wish for some of the adventure you are having…as you say, a good balance would be nice…I do love my simple life…but, look forward to any little adventure that comes my way!
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