How Did The Years Fly By
Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
by Susan Thom
At fifty one, I feel no different than at thirty one, in mind a least. Body is a little different. Last weekend I went to my great nephew’s baby shower. How can that be? How can I be a great aunt? I am my nephew’s godmother, and he was the first grandchild. I didn’t have any kids the first year or two he was born, and I spent a lot of time with him. Now, he’s a father. Blows my mind.
I have two great aunts. They were my two favorite aunts because they were funny and laughed a lot and got everybody going at get togethers. They were always kind to me, and I appreciated that. They are now ninety three and ninety six. It is mind boggling.
My daughter is twenty two and can drink in a bar. When did that happen? I can see her getting off the bus, hell, I can see me taking her into pre school. One moment I couldn’t wait for my three kids to grow up, and the next, they are grown. I have a twenty two year old daughter, it doesn’t seem real.
My son is twenty and got his own apartment. He bought a bed and dishes and food and silverware and glasses and pots and pans. How is this happening, I feel like I’m still trying to get him to eat his peas. He is six foot three or four, works full time, drives, and lives in a city. We live in the country. He loves it. It’s much more exciting to him. Where are those years, it’s as if they disappear into thin air.
My youngest is about to turn seventeen. He has his permit and in a couple of months he’ll have his license. How is this possible? I was just giving him his sippee cup. Now, he’ll be driving himself to his friends’.
My second cousins who I used to look up to as a kid, and I would listen to them talk from the sidelines, are all in their sixties. My parents have both passed away, but they would have been seventy six and eighty two. I still picture them as they looked when I was a kid. When people say to enjoy the time you have because the years go by fast, they obviously had experience to support them.
My huge Italian family I knew growing up is narrowed down to 8 second cousins, two great aunts, and four aunts. My grandmother never had enough room in her small house for everybody not to be crowded, and now, they’d be able to all fit around the dining room table. There used to be twenty seven in our family, now there are thirteen.
My best friend will be a grandmother. We’ve been friends for twenty three years, we watched our kids grow up, now they are and we don’t know how the years flew by. Was it when they were learning to tie their shoes and zip their coats?
Was it while shuffling them back and forth to softball and basketball practices and games, for years? Was it when they learned to ride their bikes without training wheels? Was it while I was watching them sleigh ride down our hill? Maybe it was when they became teenagers and started working at sixteen, and got their licenses, and their independence, and their accidents and tickets. Whenever it was, it happened, and here I sit. Feeling thirty, but having to say fifty one.
I have to agree, time flys by, especially when we aren’t paying attention. Was it while shuffling them back and forth to softball and basketball practices and games, for years? Was it when they learned to ride their bikes without training wheels? Was it while I was watching them sleigh ride down our hill? Maybe it was when they became teenagers and started working at sixteen, and got their licenses, and their independence, and their accidents and tickets. Whenever it was, it happened, and here I sit. Feeling thirty, but having to say fifty one.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Sue, great article. I oftentimes ask the same question. I have a saying: Time flies, whether you're having fun or not. So, I might as well have fun! Guess what, I am having fun! Thanks for sharing.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi avis, thak you for reading and commenting. i'm glad you are having fun. i hope to do so soon once the dust settles. best regards, suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Susan, thanks for your article. I'll be 50 in March and I don't know where the last ten years have gone. My Dad used to tell us that when you get older time goes by fast and now I believe him. It seems in our teens and 20's that we want time to go by faster but does it have to be this fast in our 40's and 50's? Jon WegnerPlease log in to respond to this comment.jon wegner, my sentiments exactly. thank you for taking the time to read and comment. i appreciate it. best regards, sue thomPlease log in to respond to this comment.
Yeah Susan it seems like it takes forever to reach 21, but after that time really goes by fast. I'm a great-great uncle to quite a few, the oldest about 14 or 15 now. I'll be 59 next month, my oldest nephew is 53Please log in to respond to this comment.hi david, yes, i think 21 was the turning point for me also. thank you for reading my article and commenting on it. best regards, suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
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