ARE THE YEARS BECOMING SHORTER AS I GET OLDER?

 The Hour Glass attributed to Giorgione (1477 - 1478)

          20 days have already passed in this New Year. The resolutions made at the stroke of midnight on the Eve are fading if not forgotten completely.

          Looking back, 2015 passed very quickly. I know, in reality it would have taken the same chunk of time as the years before. Mother earth has not suddenly accelerated her ceaseless run around the Sun. But to me, it does seem that the years have started to pass a bit quicker lately. We came in our present house many years ago but the day we moved in does not seem that far away.

          As a child I remember eagerly waiting for Diwali and Holi, when we used to go to our village home and celebrate the festivals with all our cousins. It used to take ages from Holi to Diwali and then Diwali to Holi. But now one New Year eve comes tumbling fast the last one and so are the birthdays of nears and dears.

          Though for my grandchildren, the Christmas Eve when Santa was going to bring their presents, seemed unbearably late. Every day, at least thrice, they kept on asking “is it tonight ?”

          Time certainly seems passing quicker for me, but the same is not true for the grand children. Has getting old anything to do with this speeding up of time?

         Does our biological pacemaker that determines the perception of time slows down with age, maybe due to reduced blood flow or decreased levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain? No such pacemaker has been clearly identified but there is a good probability of its existence.

          Perhaps it is more likely to be a cognitive illusion even though it feels very real.

          Early in our life many experiences were our firsts, like first crush, first kiss, first job, and so on. These new experiences made lasting memories and seemed to have lasted longer than they actually were. Higher numbers of these experiences make these years look longer when one recalls back.  But now as we become more experienced, most events are no more new and do not make lasting impressions. Scarcity of new episodes makes the year seem shorter.

          It may also be that we subconsciously measure time intervals relative to the time we have already lived. For a five year old child, one year is 20 percent of its whole life. For me it is less than 2 percent. No wonder it seems shorter!

          To make this year last longer, I am going to do more new things and have some fresh experiences. Today is youngest I will ever be again!

Hoping the same for you all, I wish you all a very Happy New Year.