“I’m not seven. I am seven and three whole quarters. That’s almost eight!” I boasted to my new teacher at 3rd grade orientation. My teacher, mom, and the rest of the adults in the room erupted into a series of laughter at my proud declaration, turning my face to a deep scarlet shade. My sassy younger self was befuddled by this unexpected reaction, as well as the inaccuracy of my mom’s embarrassing statement. What 3rd grader was still only the immature age of seven? Having an August birthday was an unfortunate flaw to have when age and the ability to do a cartwheel were the deciding factors of social status.  

Growing up, I had always been the youngest in my class. In elementary school especially, I found it extremely irritating to be out in public with all my friends, each of them professing to be so much older than I was. Even my best friend always was and always will be a lengthy four months apart from me in age. With so few years of existence to compare with, little me believed this was an unfairly prolonged span of time.  

Although I’m sure not everyone was as dramatic as I was at age seven, I believe most people can remember times in their young life when all they wanted was to be older. It’s funny to think about, especially as we get to the age when all we want is to go back to those times again. However, as immature as we think this perspective was when we were little, have we really improved our mindset at all? We may appreciate our childhood better now that it is over, but we still get stuck longing for a different phase in life. Some want to go back and be a kid again. Others look ahead, wishing they were farther along in their lives. We tend to spend our days either looking ahead to the next best thing approaching, or behind at the happier memories we wish we could relive.  

For many people, it takes years of experience to learn the value of living in the moment. Unless we stop to appreciate life right where we are, even in the worst of times, then we will never be satisfied. Instead of wishing for the future or longing for our past, we must remember to appreciate the view right outside our window. If we don’t appreciate the now, we will look back later with regret, yearning to relive those moments. 

When I was seven years old, or excuse me, seven and three quarters, I did not yet understand this concept. But now, looking back, I realize how ridiculous it was to rush through my life. Even beyond our younger years, some people continue to live with this false idea that life is about getting ahead. I wish more than anything that I could tell them all, including my younger self, the truth- life is fleeting. That is why it’s okay to live life slowly, it’s okay to enjoy every moment as it comes, and it’s okay for everyone to be living at a different pace. The world is turning fast so that we can go slowly.