Galloping by
This year has galloped by as I realise it is less than a fortnight until Labour Day. It seems like only yesterday that Christmas and the New Year rolled around. I always remember loving Labour Weekend as a child as it depicted the end of the winter as we changed out of our heavy serge tunics and into our summer school uniforms, which I loved far more than the winter ones. It was also when we knew we were on the home front towards the summer school holidays. In those days, our school year was divided into three long terms, with holidays in May and August and small mid-year breaks in between. It was a long haul through the winter months to reach August, which was usually a rainy time of the year. It was also when the lambs were born on the farm and regardless of the rain, we were out each day to do a lambing beat. I loved my holidays and the time on the farm.
One wonders if time really is getting faster. Years seemed so long as children, whereas now they fly by. I think I have already mentioned this in a previous blog, but I couldn’t wait to reach retirement to receive the pension and now it is already two years since then and I seem to be approaching old age at an even quicker rate than when I was approaching pension age.
Do we need to do more each day to make it feel like time is slowing or less? I am not sure which way around that goes. When I was nursing, all I wanted to do was to travel, but I knew it was important to finish my training. I thought I would run out of time to do the things I wanted to do. I remember speaking to one of the tutors about this. ‘’Do you think I am old,’’ she asked me. At 29 she seemed positively ancient. ‘’Yes,’’ I replied. And it did seem like that then. We had one girl in our class who was 24 and married. She seemed old too.
Yet now at 67 I don’t feel old. I see the local takeaways is advertising specials for Gold Card holders. That is me as well. I feel like a fraud that I will be able to cash in on these specials. Here is another question. Do we ever realise we are old, or in our hearts and heads do we still think of ourselves as much younger people?
Perhaps, if I am still writing blogs in ten years, I’ll be able to answer this question myself. I do know that it is a privilege to reach old age too and we should be grateful for each day that we do have, even if these latter years do seem to be galloping by.