Whatever the weather, time is constantly slipping through our fingers, and never stops to satisfy our needs. Although we experience moments when an extra minute, hour or day would be a massive benefit to us, time doesn't listen to anybody: it gets on with its job. Unlike a film, we cannot press a button to pause our lives because, from the moment we are born, we have a responsibility to make the most of the time that we have.
Just before I got out of the car upon returning home from my weekly Zumba lesson on Friday night, I was lost in thought over this theory, trying to piece together the tiny fragments which equate to this intriguing puzzle. One expression regarding time really stuck in my mind, and I constantly went over it, exploring every single avenue that was linked to it.
Today might be the present, but is it not already the past once the seconds fly past? The past does not necessarily present itself in the form of yesterday if it is already so ten minutes ago. As for the future, I cannot help but wonder whether, if it is only seconds away from happening, it can be classified as the present.
However, the present doesn't last long enough for us to register it as so because it instantly morphs into the past, where our actions remain unchanged and unforgotten. Are we living in the present or are we looking towards the past? Time is forever ticking and endless, but I doubt whether I would be granted a period to explore its mysteries - for I would then find myself wandering in the past.
Anyway, a future present will shortly be upon me as half-term nears the edge of being placed in the past: tomorrow will mark the beginning of the second term, which shall last up to seven weeks. Whenever thinking about events that are reasonably far away, I don't mind calling them 'the future' because the present won't be on the horizon for quite some time. In fact, the future strikes me as a bit of a fantasy because your imagination can run wild at the thought of what might happen, without considering potential possibilities - unless they have literally been written in the stars, of course.
When school broke up last Thursday, tomorrow was as far away from my thoughts as a last season designer bag, which didn't even bear thinking about. The present that I only cared about was meeting up with my friends in a few days time and taking it easy - those were moments which were quickly approaching, so why waste my time pouring over a day that I wouldn't have to face for a while?
Now I cannot escape the future present that will happen in less than a day's time because it will no longer be the future; before I even blink, tomorrow will exist in the past, as I leap over another hurdle. Again and again.
Time is a cycle that you cannot break out of, regardless of the changes you make to your routine. The only way that you can escape the cycle is to not exist: the perfect immunity. Therefore, we have to accept time for what it is because, depending on circumstances, we can perceive it as a blessing or a gift horribly packaged from the Devil himself. Unlike the rumours surrounding Renee Zellweger's face, time is one of those very few things which cannot be question. For me, I find it very frustrating and would throw myself into breaking that taboo, but it would be pointless. Would it only be worth it if I managed to change how time worked - and made it fit in with my needs?
At the moment, I'm fighting an urge to give into selfishness and whine like a spoilt brat about the cruelties caused by time. I wish that half-term lasted longer than a week, which has only just begun to recharge my batteries. I would give up my entire chocolate collection for the pleasure of another day at home, yet time is unable to help me. When restrictions have imposed by fellow humans, how can time help me out of a sticky situation? Like a mortal, it doesn't possess the powers of a supernatural being. In that sense, time is powerless. Relying on it as a saviour only results in heartbreak if the preferred results are not achieved.
It does disappoint me that time cannot bend the rules for my benefit, such as getting me out of a boring class (or one as wild as an Animal House party) or closing school on a day I fancy going on a shopping trip, but I know better than to expect a far-fetched fantasy becoming a reality. When life doesn't always go right, would it be great if time gave us a small pick-me-up? Ah, I'm forever travelling in a world suited to my imagination, but I have yet to discover its doppelganger on Planet Earth.
Time is approaching. So is my destiny of waving farewell to half-term - and looking towards my future present.
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