The Illusion of Time
Note: this is a guest post from Patrick Mathieu. Photo by Joe Y Jiang.
On October 10th, 2006, at the age of 36, I suffered a stroke. Thankfully, it wasn’t a major stroke and I was able to make a full recovery after spending a week in the hospital!
In the weeks that followed, I can’t count how many times I heard the phrase:
“But you’re too young to have a stroke!”
My answer to this was always the same:
“Really? What age is the right age to have a stroke?”
Time is such a funny illusion, isn’t it? You just can’t count on time to abide by your plans. Kids get cancer. People are always dying “before their time”. And 36 year-olds have strokes.
I have an aunt who is 84 and has more verve and energy than some 65 year olds. The way I see it, unless you are an actuary, there is no use getting caught up in the numbers games of time and age.
And then there is the other side of the coin. I remember one time last year, when my son was four years-old, he asked me how old I was. I asked him to guess and he said “20″. When I told him that I was 36 he just looked at me wide-eyed and said “W-O-W!” For a few months after that, he thought that 36 was the largest number possible in the entire universe. That summer, we went to a major league baseball game and when we walked into the stadium he looked at the crowd and said, “Wow Dad! There must be 36 people here!!”
I’m still not sure how I feel about that one!
Like a true illusion, time really depends on your perspective. To a four year-old, 36 is an impossible age to imagine. While to someone in their 50’s or 60’s, 36 is too young to have a stroke. And then there is the most dangerous of all illusions about time - the idea that you will be given “enough time” to live your life.
That’s why I let my focus on the present moment free me from the illusion of time. I’ve found that life’s more fun that way!
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Patrick Mathieu is a motivational speaker and author. He helps people live lives that are fearless, focused and free from regrets. Visit him at: http://www.PowerOfMortality.com/ and be sure to read his Mortality Manifesto.
16 Comments
December 5th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
really great article….thanks for sharing.
todd
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December 5th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
[...] I encourage you to read what my stroke and my son have taught me about the illusion of time. [...]
December 5th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
The funny thing is that almost everyone falls for the illusion of time from, wait for it, time to time.
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December 6th, 2007 at 5:35 am
Patrick,
Thank you for an excellent guest post. It is these personal stories that I find the most the most inspiring. I particularly loved this little bit of wisdom:
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December 6th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Great article Patrick!
I agree that age is how you feel and what you do and not what your year of birth dictates… In fact, I think I’m getting younger each day !
I’ve seen some Kung Fu teachers in their eighties being as flexible and energetic as a kid running for the ice cream truck… It really shocks you, but it shows that anything can be achieved if you care enough for yourself and others.
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December 6th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Wow, that sure is a reality check! I remember where I was on that day…it was the day that my son was born, 5.5 weeks prematurely. I’ve been in and out of the hospital in the weeks after that, but it wasn’t my own health I was concerned about.
But it was an experience that shook up my perception of time. All of a sudden 5.5 weeks went from a relatively short period to a lot of weeks early (thankfully without major consequences).
Loved the article, you’ve got a new subscriber Patrick.
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December 6th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Thanks for all the great comments everyone!
ENJOY NOW!
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December 6th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
great post. i think we’d all live longer and fuller lives if we think of time like an illusion. glad you had a full recovery after the stroke. keep on trucking !
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December 7th, 2007 at 9:04 am
I guess me worrying about starting university a few years after high school isn’t such a big deal after all.
Thanks.
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December 9th, 2007 at 1:28 am
I love it! The power and joy of being in the present is slowly spreading , and it’s fantastic that everyone is catching on to it.
Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.
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December 12th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Patrick, your story really moved me. It is surprising to me that such a young man would have to endure such a thing. Then again, my ex husband had a silent heart attack three weeks ago, and he’s only 49.
I wrote a post the other day and included a link to your post here, because we should all realize we never know how much time we have, and need to make the best of each and every day.
Thank you for writing about your experience.
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December 16th, 2007 at 5:49 am
It’s wonderful if we can appreciate every day we have as if it was our last. However, we should never lose sight of the long term. We need to invest in the future by making good decisions NOW.
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December 18th, 2007 at 8:50 am
That’s such a funny story about your son and the number 36. For my son the biggest number he can think of, for a number of years now, has been No. 158. I’ve no idea why or where he plucked this seemingly arbitrary number from, but it is invariably the number that he picks when trying to describe a large amount, ie people in a crowd, number of years since dinosaurs roamed the earth, ants living in an anthill. Don’t you just love how a child’s mind works!
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December 24th, 2007 at 6:38 am
really nice job ,marvelous.genius work
jasmine
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August 14th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I loved your article!!! Reminds me of the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. Thanks so much!!!
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