The year is just clipping along and at a speed that has made me rethink why I put my Christmas tree away.

Perhaps if I had just thrown a bag over it and scooted it into an inconspicuous corner of a room, no one would have even noticed it and next week when Christmas arrives, I would not have to climb up in the attic.

Just kidding. I know that Christmas is a long way off — if you are a child, that is — but for those like me who are experiencing the sands of time falling faster than they ever have, it is hard to conceive that we are already halfway through February. Before we know it, Easter will have hopped on by.

I have often wondered why it is that when you are younger time seems to creep, but as you age, it ramps up. And in doing said thinking, I thought maybe it was due to how we as adults measure time.

Thinking back to my childhood, I was busy back then like I am now, but the way I measured time revolved around how long a school year lasted: nine months; summer vacation: three months; and Christmas: 365 days from one holiday to the next.

Now I measure time in much samller increments, like deadlines, which can sometimes be due in hours; housework and laundry that are done daily; paychecks that come every two weeks; and bills that are due monthly.

See what I mean? Unlike a young person, “grown ups” typically measure time in smaller increments based on duties, whether necessary or self-imposed, which oftentimes means we leave little time to stop and smell the roses.

And when you don’t stop, time doesn’t just march by, it becomes a 100-meter sprint and before you know it, the race is over.

I don’t mean to make this sound morbid; it’s just a fact that I often times — probably like some of you — find myself mulling over. I catch myself planning out every minute of the day and forgetting to pencil in breathing, taking time for myself or just stopping and well, doing nothing.

Probably if I did this more often, time might just slow down.

But as we all know, doing and saying are two different things. Every day I wake up thinking this will be the day I start back doing some floor exercises and lifting a few weights. It hasn’t happened yet. Nor have I found more time to visit those kids of mine who decided to move off. Heck, truth be told, I struggle to locate time with the daughters and grandchildren who live under my nose.

And since they haven’t invented a flux capacitor like the one in the movie “Back to the Future,” I know there is no going back and retrieving missed moments.

So, what do I do? How do I make a change? How do I slow time back down?

I know the answer. I’ve already stated it. I must just do it.

Stop, breathe, quit planning out every little detail and have fun doing nothing. And most importantly, make time for those you love.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.