One Less Year

It's funny how we take stock of time's passing.

Human beings are acquisitive by nature, so we usually equate more with better. When we say, "There goes another year", what we really mean is: "I've got one more year's experience than last year." Or: "I've been around one year more." Maybe even: "I've lived [X] years longer than [insert name here]".

By our own calculus, each of these is a good thing -- something to look fondly upon and celebrate. Why? Because we ultimately have no idea how much time we have on this earth, and therefore every additional moment that we have must necessarily be a blessing.

Yet if you think about it, precisely because we don't know how much time we have left, each year behind us is one that we'll never get back. Inasmuch as every year we notch under our belts represents one more year that we've been fortunate to experience, they each stand for one less year available to us.

One less year to try that something new.

One less year to take that trip.

One less year to get that project started.

(One less year to get that project finished.)

One less year to follow that dream.

One less year to become a better person.

One less year to "be the change".

One less year to do that something amazing you've always wanted to do.

Maybe if we took stock of how many fewer years lie ahead, we'd be more driven to make the most of the time left to us, to do something meaningful with our lives, to strive to do things that matter.