We know that, it’s just that sometimes we forget happiness is found in the simple things — in holding onto these moments, learning to relive them. That’s what I’m doing now: I’m breathing real air, and I’m feeling better.
Not sure if you know this, but reading your writing has become one of those moments I wish I could slow down. Looking forward to your updates feels like waiting for a little spark of freshness in an otherwise predictable life. Please keep writing—maybe update a bit more? 🤭🌞
reading this felt like someone quietly reached inside my chest and gently put words to a feeling i didn't know how to name. lately, i've been noticing how time is slipping past me in strange ways how weeks feel like hours, how memories blur at the edges, how i blink and another season is gone. i just turned eighteen, and i know i'm still so new to life, but even now, i feel that ache you described that cruel irony of finally learning to cherish a moment just as it begins to vanish. there's this quiet grief in realizing we won't be able to hold it all, and maybe we're not meant to... but still something in me keeps trying. i've been collecting little moments too: the way my window glows just before sunset, the sound of my brother laughing in the other room, the silence in my house when everyone's asleep. your post reminded me that maybe that's enough. maybe holding onto the ordinary is the whole point. so thank you not just for the words but for the feeling behind them, for making the passing of time feel a little more sacred tonight.
I go through the same thing, I have three nephews, one who is going to turn 18, the one who is going to turn 14 and the one who will now be 5 years old in a couple of months. I feel like I didn't enjoy them🥺 I put a brake on myself and stopped to appreciate them more🥺🥺
what a relevant piece this is. I was just thinking about about time vs comparison and how they are both the thieves of joy. rather, I believe that time being the thief of joy relies on the fact that adulthood seems so painful because we are forced to take more recognition of the past and future- whether it be to make concrete plans for later or to look into patterns we previously saw. childhood is so treasured because we can just live in the present. it's a gift to be young. and with that, a happy early birthday to your niece
but it is also a gift to age, even with the very prevalent flack aging receives nowadays. society is so fickle- erase your signs of aging to be beauty but don't do too much or you aren't real anymore. but what is "real"? do you feel "real"? can you touch "real"? I like your idea of distilling time as being real. after all, we do experience all that has happened to us. but i believe the parts worth remembering made us feel something, good or bad.
I feel like I’ve stayed the same, but when I see the gray hairs and wrinkles on my family’s faces, I can’t help but feel the passing of time. Half the year has already flown by, and around this time, I often find myself anxious, wondering what I’ve missed along the way. But I’ve realized there’s no need to rush, and no need to search far, either.
I remember being 38 and mourning the fact I was outside the 18-35 demographic and no longer relevant to advertisers or influencers. In America, 18-35 is youth, and beyond that is old.
I'm now 48, and I don't know what I am. Old? I don't think so, but maybe. Invisible? Definitely, especially to anyone under 35. Trying to do more things before I *do* get old? Yes.
Still, I feel like an emeritus version of my former self.
I’ve been meditating on this strange, painful truth that time flows differently depending on how much attention/appreciation you give to it — esp with my sister’s surgery coming up soon.
I personally had cancer in my late teens & since then, I’ve tried all my life to live with more awareness of time. Life is so beautiful and disappointing and unexpected and… so damn mysterious, isn’t it. *sighs inwardly*
Thank you for sharing your life with us, Justin. I wish you a very good one. 🌲💌
em aniversários do meu sobrinho eu também costumo pensar nessas mesmas coisas que você escreveu (não conseguiria descrever a sensação tão bem como você o fez, claro);
vê-los crescendo é uma benção tão grande e ao mesmo tempo é assustador; a halsey fala disso na música “i believe in magic” sobre como o tempo passa diferente pra gente, pros nossos futuros filhos e pros nossos pais;
ultimamente eu tenho pensado sobre quão maravilhoso é estar em casa, presente com a minha família, faz a gente perceber que nem precisa de tanto quanto a gente imagina né, Charles Spurgeon se eu não me enganei no nome do autor, pode ter sido o Lewis também, idk; fala sobre o quanto é extraordinário o homem comum, com sua mulher comum e com seus filhos comuns; e eu acredito nisso, isso é tão comum que se torna raro e tão raro que quando a gente desperta pra notar se torna presente.
( i know that probably is not a good idea to post a coment in portuguese but sometimes i feel like i need to express myself in my mother language) .
글에 나와있는 흐름처럼 저 또한 시간의 중요성을 깨달았을 때 지나간 황금같은 시절들이 너무 아쉬웠고, 부모님과 사랑하는 사람들과의 시간이 그리 길게 남지 않았다는 것을 알았을 때의 슬픔은 얼마나 컸었는지 모릅니다. 매 순간을 소중히 여기고 집중하려 해도 정말 눈 깜빡할 새에 하루가, 한 달이, 일 년이 지나가버려요. 나이라는 숫자가 무색해질만큼 올해의 내 나이가 익숙해지도 않았는데 숫자가 바뀌어버릴 그런 때가 와버렸네요. 그래서 내가 행복하다고 느끼고 사랑이 충만하다고 느끼는 때에 집중해서 그 순간을 즐기고 집에 돌아와 되새김질하고 음미하며 다음 저의 발판으로 삼으려고 생각하며 살아가고 있습니다. 그렇게 살아보니 도달하기 어려웠던 행복이 사실은 어찌나 단순한지, 나의 마음가짐에 따라 행복의 크기와 농도가 많이 달라지더군요. 요즘은 행복하다는 생각이 자주 들지 않아요. 행복의 평균도가 올라가서 그런 생각이 들지 않는다고 표현해야할까요? 과거의 저는 대체로 슬프고 분노했었더라면 현재의 저는 대체로 행복하고 단순한 진심을 마음껏 표현합니다. 이런 생각을 해 볼 수 있게 글을 써준 저스틴 고마워요!
Yes, truly each day has enough trouble of its own. I always thought that verse was a prescription for anxiety and worrying, but I love seeing it used in the context of being present and appreciating the sparrows, flowers, and other small things. There are so many moments that are here today and gone tomorrow, and so I'm left wondering: instead of letting the day pass away, how can I make today mine?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and happy birthday to your niece!
This was so, so incredibly beautiful to read. I’m turning 19 in a few months (the last of my teenage years. Yay!) and with every month that passes, I find myself saying things like, 'Whoa, June went by even faster this year. I can’t believe we’re already more than halfway through 2025. Time really flies.'
And I’m starting to realise that I rarely ever allow myself the chance to just breathe, observe, and cherish the moments I’m in.
I barely get to see my family or friends anymore because of how busy my work and classes have gotten, thanks to the career I’ve chosen — though I’m not really complaining, hehe; I love my work.
But every night when I go to bed, I feel a little upset, thinking about how I didn’t get to talk to my best friend much today, or how I barely spent time with my mum aside from quickly sharing breakfast, because most nights, by the time I’m home, she’s already asleep. I don’t even get to hug her goodnight the way I used to. And that sucks. It's weird to miss her and feel homesick even though we still live in the same house.
When I was a kid, I used to ache for adulthood — saying things like, 'When I’m 18, I’m gonna get my license! I’m gonna go out partying with my friends!' I really just couldn’t wait to grow up.
But now that I am 18, and I’ve done so much growing up already, I can't help but wish I could go back in time and cherish my childhood a little longer. I mean, I’m studying and pursuing the career of my dreams — and it's all going incredibly btw — but I still can’t help but wish I could slow time down, even just for a day. Just to pause and savour my youth a little longer, because life has already started to feel so fleeting. Especially seeing my mum growing older tbh. She turned 50 this year, and that feels kind of crazy for me to try and fathom that she's already in the "last innings of her life" (her words, not mine. I'm quoting her verbatim xD.)
Anyway, that was quite a tangent. I apologise. Basically, the point I’m trying to get to is: thank you for writing this.
It was a reminder I really needed. A reminder to pause and appreciate where I’m at, and all the wonderful people I’m surrounded by, and to cherish even the briefest moments with the people I love. Because I don’t do that enough — and when I realise that, it hurts.
Sooooo... thank you. This honestly made my day ❤️
(And now, I'm gonna go make dinner and watch a movie with my mum tonight. Hehe.)
We know that, it’s just that sometimes we forget happiness is found in the simple things — in holding onto these moments, learning to relive them. That’s what I’m doing now: I’m breathing real air, and I’m feeling better.
Not sure if you know this, but reading your writing has become one of those moments I wish I could slow down. Looking forward to your updates feels like waiting for a little spark of freshness in an otherwise predictable life. Please keep writing—maybe update a bit more? 🤭🌞
to know when you’re in the good old days before they become good old days!
prospective retrospection!
해가 갈수록 시간이 점점 빠르게 흐르는 기분 완전 공감... what do you mean I’m almost in my mid 20s… I literally feel like I was 17 yesterday??
I really would like to cherish every ordinary day as you said but can’t help worrying about everything in my life😂
reading this felt like someone quietly reached inside my chest and gently put words to a feeling i didn't know how to name. lately, i've been noticing how time is slipping past me in strange ways how weeks feel like hours, how memories blur at the edges, how i blink and another season is gone. i just turned eighteen, and i know i'm still so new to life, but even now, i feel that ache you described that cruel irony of finally learning to cherish a moment just as it begins to vanish. there's this quiet grief in realizing we won't be able to hold it all, and maybe we're not meant to... but still something in me keeps trying. i've been collecting little moments too: the way my window glows just before sunset, the sound of my brother laughing in the other room, the silence in my house when everyone's asleep. your post reminded me that maybe that's enough. maybe holding onto the ordinary is the whole point. so thank you not just for the words but for the feeling behind them, for making the passing of time feel a little more sacred tonight.
I go through the same thing, I have three nephews, one who is going to turn 18, the one who is going to turn 14 and the one who will now be 5 years old in a couple of months. I feel like I didn't enjoy them🥺 I put a brake on myself and stopped to appreciate them more🥺🥺
hi Justin,
what a relevant piece this is. I was just thinking about about time vs comparison and how they are both the thieves of joy. rather, I believe that time being the thief of joy relies on the fact that adulthood seems so painful because we are forced to take more recognition of the past and future- whether it be to make concrete plans for later or to look into patterns we previously saw. childhood is so treasured because we can just live in the present. it's a gift to be young. and with that, a happy early birthday to your niece
but it is also a gift to age, even with the very prevalent flack aging receives nowadays. society is so fickle- erase your signs of aging to be beauty but don't do too much or you aren't real anymore. but what is "real"? do you feel "real"? can you touch "real"? I like your idea of distilling time as being real. after all, we do experience all that has happened to us. but i believe the parts worth remembering made us feel something, good or bad.
have a nice day, Justin!
I feel like I’ve stayed the same, but when I see the gray hairs and wrinkles on my family’s faces, I can’t help but feel the passing of time. Half the year has already flown by, and around this time, I often find myself anxious, wondering what I’ve missed along the way. But I’ve realized there’s no need to rush, and no need to search far, either.
The saddest part?
It’s how the small, stupid moments... the ones that didn’t mean much back then —
somehow feel like treasure now.
And even though they’re all I really have,
they keep fading… bit by bit.
왕 홍기님 생각하니까 글이 올라왔어요!!
조카들아 10대가 된 걸 축하해~~
외숙모가 곧 찾아갈게 ㅎㅎ
한국은 오늘 시간이 별로 안 남았지만 행복하게 보낼게🩷🩷
좋은글 꼬마웡~~🩷
I remember being 38 and mourning the fact I was outside the 18-35 demographic and no longer relevant to advertisers or influencers. In America, 18-35 is youth, and beyond that is old.
I'm now 48, and I don't know what I am. Old? I don't think so, but maybe. Invisible? Definitely, especially to anyone under 35. Trying to do more things before I *do* get old? Yes.
Still, I feel like an emeritus version of my former self.
I’ve been meditating on this strange, painful truth that time flows differently depending on how much attention/appreciation you give to it — esp with my sister’s surgery coming up soon.
I personally had cancer in my late teens & since then, I’ve tried all my life to live with more awareness of time. Life is so beautiful and disappointing and unexpected and… so damn mysterious, isn’t it. *sighs inwardly*
Thank you for sharing your life with us, Justin. I wish you a very good one. 🌲💌
🫶
a vida é tão preciosa,
às vezes sinto os dias correndo pelos meus dedos,
em aniversários do meu sobrinho eu também costumo pensar nessas mesmas coisas que você escreveu (não conseguiria descrever a sensação tão bem como você o fez, claro);
vê-los crescendo é uma benção tão grande e ao mesmo tempo é assustador; a halsey fala disso na música “i believe in magic” sobre como o tempo passa diferente pra gente, pros nossos futuros filhos e pros nossos pais;
ultimamente eu tenho pensado sobre quão maravilhoso é estar em casa, presente com a minha família, faz a gente perceber que nem precisa de tanto quanto a gente imagina né, Charles Spurgeon se eu não me enganei no nome do autor, pode ter sido o Lewis também, idk; fala sobre o quanto é extraordinário o homem comum, com sua mulher comum e com seus filhos comuns; e eu acredito nisso, isso é tão comum que se torna raro e tão raro que quando a gente desperta pra notar se torna presente.
( i know that probably is not a good idea to post a coment in portuguese but sometimes i feel like i need to express myself in my mother language) .
글에 나와있는 흐름처럼 저 또한 시간의 중요성을 깨달았을 때 지나간 황금같은 시절들이 너무 아쉬웠고, 부모님과 사랑하는 사람들과의 시간이 그리 길게 남지 않았다는 것을 알았을 때의 슬픔은 얼마나 컸었는지 모릅니다. 매 순간을 소중히 여기고 집중하려 해도 정말 눈 깜빡할 새에 하루가, 한 달이, 일 년이 지나가버려요. 나이라는 숫자가 무색해질만큼 올해의 내 나이가 익숙해지도 않았는데 숫자가 바뀌어버릴 그런 때가 와버렸네요. 그래서 내가 행복하다고 느끼고 사랑이 충만하다고 느끼는 때에 집중해서 그 순간을 즐기고 집에 돌아와 되새김질하고 음미하며 다음 저의 발판으로 삼으려고 생각하며 살아가고 있습니다. 그렇게 살아보니 도달하기 어려웠던 행복이 사실은 어찌나 단순한지, 나의 마음가짐에 따라 행복의 크기와 농도가 많이 달라지더군요. 요즘은 행복하다는 생각이 자주 들지 않아요. 행복의 평균도가 올라가서 그런 생각이 들지 않는다고 표현해야할까요? 과거의 저는 대체로 슬프고 분노했었더라면 현재의 저는 대체로 행복하고 단순한 진심을 마음껏 표현합니다. 이런 생각을 해 볼 수 있게 글을 써준 저스틴 고마워요!
Yes, truly each day has enough trouble of its own. I always thought that verse was a prescription for anxiety and worrying, but I love seeing it used in the context of being present and appreciating the sparrows, flowers, and other small things. There are so many moments that are here today and gone tomorrow, and so I'm left wondering: instead of letting the day pass away, how can I make today mine?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and happy birthday to your niece!
This was so, so incredibly beautiful to read. I’m turning 19 in a few months (the last of my teenage years. Yay!) and with every month that passes, I find myself saying things like, 'Whoa, June went by even faster this year. I can’t believe we’re already more than halfway through 2025. Time really flies.'
And I’m starting to realise that I rarely ever allow myself the chance to just breathe, observe, and cherish the moments I’m in.
I barely get to see my family or friends anymore because of how busy my work and classes have gotten, thanks to the career I’ve chosen — though I’m not really complaining, hehe; I love my work.
But every night when I go to bed, I feel a little upset, thinking about how I didn’t get to talk to my best friend much today, or how I barely spent time with my mum aside from quickly sharing breakfast, because most nights, by the time I’m home, she’s already asleep. I don’t even get to hug her goodnight the way I used to. And that sucks. It's weird to miss her and feel homesick even though we still live in the same house.
When I was a kid, I used to ache for adulthood — saying things like, 'When I’m 18, I’m gonna get my license! I’m gonna go out partying with my friends!' I really just couldn’t wait to grow up.
But now that I am 18, and I’ve done so much growing up already, I can't help but wish I could go back in time and cherish my childhood a little longer. I mean, I’m studying and pursuing the career of my dreams — and it's all going incredibly btw — but I still can’t help but wish I could slow time down, even just for a day. Just to pause and savour my youth a little longer, because life has already started to feel so fleeting. Especially seeing my mum growing older tbh. She turned 50 this year, and that feels kind of crazy for me to try and fathom that she's already in the "last innings of her life" (her words, not mine. I'm quoting her verbatim xD.)
Anyway, that was quite a tangent. I apologise. Basically, the point I’m trying to get to is: thank you for writing this.
It was a reminder I really needed. A reminder to pause and appreciate where I’m at, and all the wonderful people I’m surrounded by, and to cherish even the briefest moments with the people I love. Because I don’t do that enough — and when I realise that, it hurts.
Sooooo... thank you. This honestly made my day ❤️
(And now, I'm gonna go make dinner and watch a movie with my mum tonight. Hehe.)