The four years I was in high school seemed like half a lifetime . The last ten years have gone by like a blink of an eye. I'm not sure what icon I want laughter, or tears.

Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The farther one gets into the roll, the faster it goes.

I have considered becoming a hobo.

Time has to drag on for those guys right?

Older you get and the better the time you have the faster time flies.

Not that anyone asked, but the theory behind that is that when you are young each year (or month or day) is a relatively large part of your total life. 1/18th to an 18 year old. As you get older each year is a successively lesser part of your total life, 1/65th to a 65 year old.

Don't know if that's true but I hear you on time flying. Things that happened 10 years ago seem like they were just "a little while ago".

Wabigoon: I graduated from high school 54 years ago (1965).
I have tried to fill every day and waking hour with something rewarding and fun to do.
As, indeed, time goes by quicker the older one gets.
I am not bragging but I am sure I have lived two normal lifetimes full of fun, adventures, travel, helping people and Hunting!
I have a lifelong friend coming in tomorrow from the west coast and we will fill two or three days full of fun, good eating, trading guns and seeing local sites!
Lots of plans for the rest of this summer and on into fall and winter.
PLANNING is very important, in my experience, to get the most enjoyment out of my life!
An ICON of contentment and pride should be your goal!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I never thought of it in those terms. That does bring perspective to an age old question.


High school seemed like an eternity to me because I am sure hell will be modeled after high school. Everyone said I'd miss it. As I am now in my mid 40's, I don't know when that is supposed to kick in, but it sure hasn't yet.

There's a couple of other things at play. Back when we were in high school the frame rate of our brains was much faster. Faster frame rates mean more information to process. Overall, times seem to go slower. Your frame rate naturally decreases with age. These effects things like reaction time. Adrenalin in the system also effects frame rates. That's why time seems to stand still when you're in the middle of an existential threat. Frame rate differs from animal to animal. Flies have ridiculously high frame rates, which allow them to dodge the fly swatter. Snails have ridiculously slow frame rates-- about 4 per minute.

The other thing that is going on is familiarity. When I drive an unknown piece of road, I have no idea what's ahead. It may only take a half-hour to get to where I'm going, but it feels like forever. When I'm driving home from work along the same path I travel every day, the time seems to slip by. This is especially true when I'm driving to the farm. It's 63 miles-- about 1.5 hours travel time door-to-door. That 90 minutes flies by know, because every bit of road I've travelled so much, I can anticipate every jog, every mailbox.

Bottom line: In high school, my frame rate was about 20% faster than it is now. If I had to wait 5 minutes for the bell to ring in study hall it was a freaking eternity. Now, the time goes by in a flash. Back in 1976, every season was fresh and new. Now, I know pretty much what every day is going to be like.

One other thing: Back in 1976, if I didn't bring a paperback book or a magazine, I had to sit and wait with nothing to occupy my time. Now I have a smartphone. I can read the news, read email, or even read a Kindle Book.

Good thoughts men. Some insight for sure.

Life seems to accelerate, for all the reasons above.

Keep moving and keep pushing.

When you were 4 years old a year was a quarter of your life time at 70 it is 1/70 of your lifetime, etc.

It's Independence Day or Christmas every time I turn around.

Like a snowball rolling down hill.

The further it rolls the bigger it and faster it gets.

I like that comparison!

Unless you miss your jump onto the number eight car

Then there was that dragging time in the army. Some of the fellows had the days, hours, to their discharge.

you guys pull it off the roll???

no wonder mine goes so fast!

It is all about new/first time life experiences and your brain housing group. When one is young, and first cognizant of what is happening around him, and can remember and recall those life experiences, time seems to crawl, because the vast brain housing group hard drive is relatively empty. As the days, weeks and years progress, the brain's hard drive begins to fill up, and because many of one's life experiences are nearly identical repeats of what is already saved on the hard drive, life seems to speed up. As long as one remains mentally healthy, the hard drive captures every new/first time experience, but repeat experiences just roll off to the side and life seems to accelerate even faster. When you get to a point where a look back over the past 20 years seems as if it happened just yesterday, you are well on your way to the grave.

Just wait until you retire then time will fly more than ever. I retired a little over 3 years ago, its been the fastest 3 years of my life, seems like it should have only been a year or 2, wow.

"...for what is your life? It is even a vapor that soon passes away."

amen

To quote Warden Norton, "... like a fart in the wind".

Lol, My dad always said that when he grew up he wanted to be a "Bag Lady", Walk around with a shopping cart full of schit and annoy people. I can still see my Ma shaking her head.

Da hell you know ‘bout snowballs?

I’m compressed with getting through HS in 4 years!

And - I'm betting that he even learned that he graduated FROM high school.

I knew a guy who quit his job and took his entire family to live on the streets. They stayed in shelters and ate from soup kitchens. His wife was really fat; I wonder if she is now?

Not Richard. Meant in general.

My two hardest school years were 7th grade!

I meant it as a compliment to him.

High school was the favorite time of my life. I played football, ran track, athletes had it made. I had plenty of girlfriends that were very friendly. I wish it had never ended.

I was too skinny for football but I did very well in track and cross country. I never dated the 'top level' girls. There were plenty of good looking girls who didn't try to be 'in'. They were a lot more fun and not at all conceited.

Didn’t mind high school at all. It was the classes I didn’t like. Raised on a farm so pitchin Schitt and driving tractor was my sports world. Life turned out fine so it’s all good. Ed k

Paradox - time seems to be moving a lot faster but I'm moving a lot slower. Hmmm...

Interesting comments. Thanks.

My take is that time is infinite and specifically immeasurable by finite beings, but we do create markers, milestones, etc. The quickness, or slowness, with which it passes varies greatly with individuals and seems mostly measured by emotional experiences and certain achievements. We do seem to fool ourselves a bit in that regard. That roll of toilet paper does not really run out more quickly as it nears its end – that is an optical effect.

Some folks place much value on the effective the use of time – and talent, and energy, and wisdom, and relationships – and some place less value there, and do this with differing balances. My life has simply flown by at a rapid pace, including those HS and college years, but seldom do I pause to think about where it all has gone. Memories – good and not so good - are vivid and good usage has become more and more important. Every day is a challenge in that regard. YMMV.

When I turned 70 I asked my wife "How the hell did this happen?"

"Bad Luck". she replied, dryly.

I walked right into it.....

Every day you wake up is a good day!

If I wake up alive, I figure I'm a winner already.

I did 4 years of High School and almost 4 years in Vietnam. I would not do High School over again.

Do the Math.

High school sucked.
Did well (expected), moved away and never looked back.

The problem with getting older, by the time you really figure it out, its too late to start over.

Told stepson to get his nuts clipped at 16, that way his only life drama would be:

Do I take the blue Jeep out with the red bass boat, or do I take the red Jeep out with the blue bass boat.

He didn't listen. Has 3 kids now, close together.

Dumbass.

He will come over, and we will fire up the grill, drink beer................and he will shake his head laughin.
" Damnit man, you were right "

I won't say anything, just hand him another beer.

I would not do either one again.

Well the six years that I was in high school.......

High school seems like hell itself when you're in it. 50+ years later I can see that it was high, easy living.

Damum guys! For me it was 4 years of sex ed! By college, girls had smartened up.

Sorry to hear so many folks had a crappy time in high school. I loved it. Still best friends with many of the guys I graduated with. Some of us have been friends since kindergarten and we get together often. Spent the 4th with 3 of them and their families camping.

High school flew by for me and life's been picking up speed since.....

High school was pretty blah. The 3 years directly after high school were probably the best time of my life. I moved away from home, met a lot of new people. It's the best thing I ever did, actually. I can't imagine what my life would have been if I hadn't taken that plunge.

I had no idea what I was getting into. I was only 19. I didn't realize that it was going to be a life changing experience. But I was only a few months into it when I knew that it was.

probably the best times of my life, i had hella fun during those years.

School sucked.
It kept me from things i wanted to do, and didn't pay.
My dad used to say, "these are the best years of your life"? One time
I'm glad I ignored him. Or I would have suck started a shot gun. He was wrong.

I did what the law required, not a darn bit more. No sports, nothing.
Graduated 6/1/87, the first day I worked my first non-farm full time job.

I never set foot on school property again until my daughter started school in 2008.


Honestly, I think the problem started with being forced to go.
I don't have anyone controlling me now, I do what I want, how I want.
Control is only by way of self imposed morality.

School was easy, graduated 3 rd in my class. I liked going to class, it was a lot better than home life. There were no blacks or Meskins in my school.

Calculus? Physics?

I would have knocked some girl up if I hadn't moved away from home.

I moved to the city. City girls use birth control.