The Acceleration of Time (or What do You Mean the 30th Reunion is Next Year?)

Though I long ago resolved not to be preoccupied with age in my declining years, it's happening anyway.

Out of the blue, several Facebook postings this week herald the coming of my 30th high school class reunion next summer.

When I was in high school, I never contemplated living 30 years, let alone having a 30th high school reunion.

I didn't attend the 10th or 20th. I'm not sure I'll attend the 30th, but it’s happening regardless.

Where did the time go?

I've always heard from my elders (I very much respect them, by the way – young people, take note) that the older you get, the faster time flies.

When I was a kid, I was vividly aware of the differences between 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975. To this day, I can see a hairstyle from the 70s and tell you within about 12 months what year it was popular. My bright plaid pants with cuffs looked great in 1974, common in 1975, and silly by 1976.

Fast forward just 10 years: I lived in a different city every year or two for most of the 1980s. If I now hear a Madonna song on the radio, I can tell you whether I lived in Lincoln, New York, Omaha, or Richmond when it was popular.

But things changed in the 90s. I stopped moving around, yet the years flew by. How can I be nostalgic for Breakfast At Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something when it seems like it just came out? By the way, I really like that new artist, Sheryl Crow. I hope her career takes off.

I still wear shirts I wore in 1999. They look ok to me - maybe a little tight. Have I become an old dork? I'll never forget going out once with a slightly younger guy who guessed my age based on my shoes. Any self-confidence in my animal magnetism quickly evaporated.

The days, weeks, months are flying by. I regularly say, "Is it Friday again already? Where did the week go?" The good news is that while weekends once seemed so few and far between, they now come with increasing frequency.

I read a month or so ago (or was it a year or two?) that scientific studies point to possible physiological reasons why older people experience time in an accelerated way. It may be more than just the perspective of age.

So I have just one question. If time is speeding up, why is the last 30 minutes at the office the longest hour of the day?