Where has summer gone?

It seems as if I just pulled my shorts and summer tops out of the dresser. Yet here we are — high school football players to to the gridiron again last week, and nearly every local school will begin classes again in the coming days.

All my life, I have heard that time passes more quickly as you get older. While that makes sense, it isn’t just me who feels that summer passed in the blink of an eye. I have heard the very same thing from friends, family and younger co-workers. People can’t believe the summer — or the year 2022 for that matter — is flying by so quickly.

Why is this the case?

I blame COVID-19.When the pandemic forced us all to isolate and limit our activities, time seemed to drag on and on. People could hardly wait to take off their masks and get back to “normal.”

My logic goes like this: We were cooped up and waiting for it to end.

Now that we have the freedom we longed for again, no single day can be long enough. We can’t possibly pack in everything we want to do in a day, a week, a month or a year.

So, how do we slow the passage of time? We simply can’t do that.

What we can do, though, is slow down our approach to it all. Take more time to appreciate what we do get to do. Set priorities more carefully. Make sure to stop and talk with your loved ones. Stop dismissing interactions with others because you feel pressured to get things done.

Remember, we only have one shot at this life. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of the world cheat you out of the experiences you want to have.

Seize the day! And seize what’s left of the summer.