Discoveries Over Time

 Last month I experienced another birthday. It’s interesting what we discover over time, both about time itself and ourselves. As we progress through time, we’re capable of seeing things more clearly, for we have more to compare them to. Hopefully, this knowledge and awareness allows us to become more comfortable with ourselves and see things more realistically.
Time speeds up as we age. No, that isn’t actually true, but it seems to speed up. When we were kids, summer vacations seemed to be very long, while at my age I can feel a smile I experienced a year ago like it was yesterday. The reason for this speed-up has to do with time as we know it. When we are a year old, a year is 100 percent of our life. When we are two, a year drops to only 50 percent of our life. Since we can only experience past time and not future time, each year we live appears to go faster, as it becomes a smaller percentage of our total life.
When we were young, anything was possible, and self-doubts were unimaginable. We never doubted we could be super heroes. During adolescence, our mirror became the location of our most intense studying, and all we saw were flaws that didn’t previously exist. Everything unchanged disappeared from our awareness. We no longer saw ourselves as others saw us, but as we feared others saw us. As adults, we strove to overcome our limitations and prove ourselves, to accomplish that which we questioned we could accomplish. As we aged further, we found ourselves more capable of seeing ourselves as we truly are. As a result of knowledge we’ve acquired through our experiences, we become aware of realistic limitations along with realistic assets.
Before clarity hits us, we see what we want and expect to see it work. With clarity, we understand not everyone values what we have to offer, but that doesn’t devalue what we have to offer. Some people seek a lifestyle, while others seek a special connection. Learn to see what you have to offer and who appreciates that.
To discuss this or other issues, Dr. Levine can be reached at 661-877-8378.