Time Flies……

By Tyler Dunahee

We all heard it as kids when we complained about being young or wanting to be adults, enjoy being a kid while it lasts, because that time is limited and you’ll never get it back.  I was having a conversation this past week with a friend and she and I had a conversation discussing just how fast time has gone by and how much we miss the time when we were kids, living at home, without bills, responsibilities, jobs, et cetera.  A time when the only thing you really have to worry about is what is on the lunch menu the next day or if you’re bringing a lunch from home.   We talked about it so long we almost were depressed that that point in our lives were over and never truly got to appreciate it.  At this point in our lives life is flying by at a hundred miles an hour and it can very easily pass you by without you blinking an eye, and very few of us take the time to slow things down and enjoy life, I know I don’t, but I’m sure going to try.

I write this as a sit at a desk, at one of my three jobs, going to graduate school in a field where having a job outside of the university is unusual and difficult to maintain.  Needless to say, between architecture and work, I don’t have too much free time to do things I really enjoy, and in the free time I do have, I just want to relax and do nothing.  Over Fall Break I managed to find time to go home for a few days as a big family reunion on my father’s side, which is always the Sunday before Columbus Day. While there I realized just how important trying to slow down and truly enjoy life is.  Seeing the young kids playing carelessly, enjoying every moment of life, interacting with everyone there as if they see them every day.  While playing with the kids I realized that I had been missing out, that careless play and lack of responsibility, even for just a few hours, opened my eyes, just how long has it been since I’ve truly had fun like this?

As architecture students so much of our time is dedicated to school, and for those taking on jobs as well, it’s a daunting task and takes dedication.  I ask you, however, do you feel like you’re taking full advantage of life? How much time do you waste? Because I’m not happy with my answers to either of those questions and having realizing that, I’m going to do my best to try to relax and slowdown from time to time, as I don’t think enough of us do so.  I’m not saying don’t do your work, but don’t waste the time that you have when you’re not working on a project, I know I waste way too much time online, Facebook, Twitter, mindless videos, websites, and general browsing that doesn’t result in anything productive, in other words doing things consistently that in no way better me as a student or person. 

Moral: Take a step back, deep breathe, and enjoy where you’re at in life, as they’ll be some of the best years of your life, so enjoy them.