passage of time
“真想活啊…” (“how i wish to live…”)
a poor english translation to convey the feelings of the 4 chinese words heard from the mouth of an elderly man.
have the thought of wanting to grow up quickly ever crossed your mind?
of course it has.
it is probably safe to say that everyone, at some point in their lives, have had that thought cross their minds. and probably many more times than just one.
when you’re a little kid in kindergarten and elementary school, you want to grow up faster so you can escape the naggings of your protective and loving parents.
when you’re a teen, you want to hurry up and grow up so you can drive, drink and party. go to university or college or work to pursue your dreams.
when you’re a young adult, whether you’re university working towards a degree or not, you want to hurry up and grow up to launch your career. to move out. to start your own life. to marry and have kids. to start your own family. to live on your own. to become fully independent.
we’re always in such a rush to “grow up”.
has anyone ever slowed down and looked back? thinking to oneself wow… time has passed so fast… i’m already ___…
we’re always in such a rush that we do not realize how fast everything actually goes by. perhaps so much that we’re taking everything we have for granted without even knowing it…
perhaps you’re thinking “what made you think about this now? why stop and think about this now?”
well… someone close to me told me this not long ago:
on an afternoon like every afternoon, i was with my father and we were playing with my baby nieces, or in other words, his grandsons. they were the most adorable things ever. just laughing and giggling at everything that they found amusing. grabbing on and playing with anything that they can get their chubby little hands on. their round cheeks and tubby bodies just makes you want to pinch them and cuddle them. we spent an entire afternoon with these adorable children. when my little brother’s wife came home, we put the kids to bed for a late afternoon nap.
i sat in the living room with my father in comfortable silence, just enjoying each others’ company. my father has not been the healthiest man for the past decade or so. he’s lost full function of one side of his body, causing him to walk slowly and with a limp. after a little while, he stood up and paused. i looked at him as he looked towards the room the children were sleeping in. his eyes glazed over in a fleeting moment and he whispered “真想活啊…” following this, limiping, he slowly walked into his room.
i was dumbstruck. i thought to myself “what…?”
never in my life so far have those 4 words ever come across my mind. hearing it just now from my father’s lips brought tears to my eyes. i wanted to cry. i felt as if my life is passing by so fast and i don’t even realize it. i look at myself and it hit me… just how much and how fast time has passed me by already….
***
i heard this story and it seem to have really struck a nerve. i thought about it for a moment and felt that we really do rush through life too fast. we only get one chance to live. why NOT stop and smell the roses sometimes? why not just slow down and appreciate the time we’re at in our lives right now? instead of being in a rush to “grow up” and get on with life when we’re already living it?
appreciate the times you have with your parents. got doting parents? appreciate it, don’t hate it. don’t find them annoying. they only nag you so much cuz they love you more than anything in the world. people don’t go on living forever. your times with the people you care about are not eternal. they’re limited and short.
i know it’s easier said than done. and i do plan on taking my own advice and practice what i preach :)
