Why Time Grows Wings--Jan Blazanin

I’ve heard that time seems to go faster when we're older because we no longer have as many firsts in our lives. Children’s lives are nothing but firsts. The first day of school, first birthday party, first pet, first time riding a bike without training wheels. With few life experiences to draw on, a kid's list of beginnings is almost endless. Each fresh encounter stands out as a landmark in a child’s mind. And those landmarks are what make time seem to move so slowly.

Teens’ lives are also rife with first events. Taking the driving test and getting a driver’s license is pretty memorable, especially if, like me, you needed two tries to conquer that pesky parallel parking! Attending your first boy-girl make-out party can leave some indelible memories. Then there’s first love—and that devastating first betrayal. In my case, betrayal followed swiftly on the heels of love in April of my high school junior year. Each day I tried to get over my first crush was agony. Time has never passed so slowly.

While time has certainly speeded up for me since then, as a writer I’ve lived through many time-dragging experiences. Snails move like speed demons compared to the days I’m waiting to hear what an agent or editor thinks of my manuscript. Pony Express riders on three-legged mules take the long way to deliver a contract from my publisher. The slowest days occur the month before a book’s release. The Ice Age passed more quickly.

We remember our first times--good and bad. Sometimes we celebrate them. Like the first day of a New Year.

I hope yours is memorable in the best possible way!