My Great-Grandpa Wallace who lived to be 97 ½ years old used to say that time seems to speed up as we age. Birthdays come faster. Holidays come faster. The seasons change faster. What used to seem to take forever later seems to go by in the blink of an eye. I was 10 when he was 97, so I didn’t understand it then, but now I’m beginning to understand. In many ways, time does seem to move along faster now than it did when I was a child.
I also recently heard the DJs on the radio talking about a poll that had just come out. The question for the poll was “Do you stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve?” Among the people who answered the poll question, it was 50/50. Only half of adults stay up to actually ring in the New Year. Then the DJs started wondering how many of the people polled are over age 45 because, in their opinion, the older one is the less likely it is that person would stay up.
I can’t disagree. When I was younger, especially in my 20s, I always stayed up to watch the ball drop at midnight. However, that has happened less and less often as I got older. The main reason I think is because I often have had to work on New Year’s Day. When January 1 is a Sunday, I lead worship. When I worked in retail and when I worked in grocery, stores are open on New Year’s Day, and I would work. My husband, too, as a baker, still has to work on holidays because people still want their baked goods.
The other reason I don’t stay up is because I like my sleep, and I need a regular schedule. Because I rarely every stay up until midnight on any night, in order to keep a regular schedule, I go to bed at my regular time. I used to laugh at my parents for going to be at 9:00 pm, but now I do that, too.
But the New Year is still an exciting time. When we turn the page on the calendar, we also feel like we have a new lease on life. Everything feels like it resets, and we get another chance. People make resolutions to do better in the New Year. People make changes in their lives, sometimes big changes and sometimes smaller changes, but we feel braver to make changes when the clock strikes midnight.
My life goal is to be that brave every day. When I need to make a change, I hope I’m brave enough to make it when it’s needed. I know that because of Jesus Christ my Savior, I get a new chance continuously and I try to utilize those chances. I try to remember how blessed I am as a child of God and to live my life accordingly.
Pastor Beth
