Life is so short!
I remember years ago, when my mother reached her 80th birthday, how incredulous she was.
Reflecting on her life, she said, “I can’t believe I’m 80 already. I feel so young.”
Then she said, almost sadly, “I don’t know where all the time went. It went so fast!”
I often feel the same way myself. As the decades roll by, it seems that time goes faster and faster.
“Where did all the time go anyway?” I ask myself.
Richard Templar says it another way in his book, “The Rules of Life.” He says, “Life is whooshing past.”
The whole title of his book is “The Rules of Life, Expanded Edition: A Personal Code for Living a Better, Happier, More Successful Life.”
The first edition was a global success. Now, in this new edition, Templar gives 106 helpful rules for making the most of the days of your life–two pages for each rule.
The 24th rule is a critical one: “Get On with Life–It’s Whooshing Past.”
“Every day, every second, life is whooshing past at an alarming rate,” says Templar. “And it goes on getting faster and faster.”
This is a concept 19th-century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy also talked about. Tolstoy said that time moves faster the longer that you have lived.
For instance, for a five-year-old, a year will last forever. But for a 95-year-old, a year goes by in a flash.
Put yourself on the timeline and think about how time is speeding up.
We’re all aware of that fact, yet do we “get on with life?” Templar’s book is a wonderful reminder of how to stop watching time fly by and begin to really live.
There’s nothing new in this book. But it’s a very helpful collection of all the common-sense “rules of life” we know but often forget to practice.
Such as “be nice” and its companion, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Templar has been described as an astute observer of human behaviour, who understands what makes the difference between people who effortlessly glide successfully through life and those who always seem to struggle against the tide.
The chapter titles speak for themselves. Accept yourself and accept the inevitable. Change what you can change, let go of the rest. Don’t dwell in the past and don’t live in the future. Hang out with positive people.
Know what counts and what doesn’t. Being kind and considerate counts; having the latest technology doesn’t. Doing something useful with your life counts; going shopping because you’re bored doesn’t.
There are some things in this life that are important and a whole lot of things that aren’t!
And, especially if you are this side of 60, remember to stay young. Try new things. Don’t give up activities just because you reach a certain age. Stay flexible in your thinking.
Young is about keeping a fresh vision of the world, writes Templar. Cultivate new interests; don’t be afraid to dream and get involved.
Why not pick up a copy of Templar’s book and start living one rule each day.
Always remember, life is whooshing past. Only you can choose to follow the rules that will help you enjoy the ride.
Write Marie Snider at thisside60@cox.net
