We hear all the time that life is short. This idea forces us to live every day to it’s fullest and not waste a single bit of time. I understand this concept, and I agree that it is important to seek a fulfilling life since we only get one! However, today I want to take the road less traveled and reveal to you that yes, while life is so so short… it’s also kind of long.
As a type A person with anxiety, sometimes it is the idea that life is long that brings me a sense of calm. I’ve talked before about how easy it is to start forming a life checklist in Stop Asking if I’m Getting Married, and how detrimental that can be to our lifestyles. As I scroll through my Instagram feed I see so many friends celebrating wedding anniversaries and babies first steps and sometimes I let myself panic; shouldn’t I be doing these things too?
I am slowly starting to get to the stage in singleton where my friends are nudging me about the idea of setting me up. I was talking with a girl at work about how there was one guy that I had always enjoyed but I knew he didn’t like kids and how could I ever date a guy who doesn’t like kids? Isn’t that just a waste of time? I need someone that wants to make babies! She finally looked at me and said “Jamie, you are 23 years old. You have so much time.” I was taken aback.
I have so much time.
The only one who can put my life on a timeline is God. I can try and try to understand and plan out exactly how it should go, but I don’t have a clue. So why waste time planning? Yes, I do have friends that are my age or younger and starting families and I think that is amazing! However, my life doesn’t look like that right now. It’s okay to spend a year or two and just be a little bit lost. In fact, I have a feeling that someday I’m gonna look back at these years and remember them fondly.
So whether you are 16 or 35 or 65 I hope that you remember how short life is so that you make the most of every day. But I also hope that in those times when you are feeling rushed and impatient, you remember that you have time to slow down and take a breath. You’re on God’s time, and there is no point in rushing that.