Time Doesn’t Rush — Unless You Push It

When I turned forty-four, I realized something simple: I don’t rush anymore. Not because there’s nothing to chase, but because I finally understand that the important stuff is already happening — not in the future, not in the past, but right now. Like when I’m sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and my youngest suddenly says Grandma is the coolest person ever because she can cook and tell stories at the same time. That’s the moment. That’s life.

I think about time a lot — especially when we all go outside as a family. Those walks in the woods, where nobody’s checking the clock, where even our conversations seem slower. It’s like life itself takes a breath. My father used to say that the most valuable thing we can give each other is our presence. I didn’t get it back then. But now, under tall trees with my kids, my wife, and my mother beside me, I feel it: I’m part of something bigger. Time moves, sure — but it doesn’t press down on me.

I wasn’t always like this. At thirty, I was sprinting through life: job, house, vacations, gym, perfect breakfasts. It was a daily obstacle course, and I’d fall asleep every night with the sense I hadn’t done enough. These days, I let myself do nothing — and it turns out, that’s the most useful thing. Sitting on the porch in the evening, watching the sun sink below the rooftops, not checking my phone. That’s when the quiet comes. And with it — a kind of clarity.

Maybe getting older means you stop trying to prove something. Instead, you start listening — to your kids, your partner, your body, the wind in the yard. And that kind of listening takes time too. Time that goes inward, not forward. I’ve stopped chasing moments. Now I let them arrive. Sometimes they show up as laughter, sometimes as silence. But I try to be there, so I don’t miss them.

If you’re still running — that’s okay. We all run at some point. But when you feel like you can slow down, do it. Not out of fear, but out of a desire to really live. Because the truth is, time doesn’t rush. We do.