We all know that Kenny Chesney song that tells us not to blink. Ya know, the one that goes like this, “Don’t blink. Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap, and you wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.” So, so true.
Do you ever feel like the older you get, the faster the days go by? I do too. I get so caught up in living for the future that I miss far too many precious moments that are happening in the present. That’s why this song is so important to me. If I could pause time, I totally would, but since I cannot, I would like to learn to appreciate each and every moment as it happens.
If you ever told me to listen to this song as a child, I would have looked you straight in the eye and told you this song, and the meaning behind it, was crazy. Back then, all I wanted was to be able to blink then BOOM, I’d be instantly older. Being a little girl with an older sister to look up to, I always felt so young and childish. I admired the fact that she was older, and to me, older was always cooler. I wanted to do exactly as she did: play with her toys, listen to her music, watch her television shows. Now, all I want is the chance to go back to Kindergarten. Snacks, recess, naptime, oh my!
Although I didn’t know it at the time, being a kid was the coolest, most fun thing anyone could ever be. It’s those days I often catch myself reminiscing on.
If I were given any superpower in the world, I would choose to revisit my adolescent years. Those were the best days. Back then the hardest decision you were ever faced with was whether to watch Veggie Tales or Rugrats first. And going shopping with Mom always meant I got to pick out a new care bear. Hmm, do I want Share Bear or Funshine Bear this time? I could never forget how exciting it was to stop at a gas station, that’s where I’d find the mother of all candies: the wonder ball. Let’s face it, it wasn’t that it tasted all that good, but the secret hidden candy found inside made it so worth it!
After visiting those days, I’d travel a little further down the timeline, going back to the days when EVERYONE had a Webkinz account. It wasn’t only a game; it was a part of me, so much so that my elementary teacher would allow the use of the computer just to spin the ever-so-awesome Wheel of Wow. These were also the days of Uncle Jesse. Did I say Uncle Jesse? Oops, I meant Full House. But seriously, we all know why we loved that show so much. Of course, I saved the best for last. If you had a Nintendo DS, which most of everyone did back in the day, you loved Nintendogs. I thank the genius behind this game for letting me experience what it was like to have a dog when my parents refused to get me a real one! I couldn’t wait to get out of school and feed all of my adorable, virtual puppies.
It makes me so sad to think about how fast the past twenty years of my life have gone by, that it literally makes me cringe at the thought of how fast the next twenty will fly by. I will always wish I could pause time, or even revisit the past, but since I can’t, I will keep a tight grip on the memories life has offered me.
Going forward, I hope that I stick true to my word of living in the moment, rather than for the future. Why worry about tomorrow when we have today?
“Trust me friends, a hundred years goes faster than you think. So don’t blink.”– Kenny Chesney
