It literally just hit me, yesterday, that I’m in college.

I was making myself a sandwich; and while I was spreading the Vegenaise* on my whole wheat bun, I noticed my low supply of bread would have to be replaced soon and mentally put “Bread” on my grocery list.

And just like that, it hit me right across the face. What’s it? Time, I guess.

When in the world did I start concerning myself with grocery shopping? When did I start making my own sandwiches?

I used to tag along with my parents and help get the stuff on THEIR grocery list. I never used to make my own list. There was a time when if I didn’t cook, I still ate. I used to be too little to make my own food, yet alone reach the stove or counters.

Just yesterday, I was on the swings, singing “I Believe I Can Fly” as loud as a third grader could.

Just yesterday, I had my first tennis lesson in San Diego, California.

Just yesterday, I was playing kickball with fellow fifth and sixth graders.

Just yesterday, I had my first violin lesson as a seven-year-old.

Just yesterday, I was born.

And right then, with the knife and bread in hand, I realized that all those “just yesterday” events were, in fact, many, many yesterdays ago.

Whoa.

I wonder how my parents feel. The kid they once held in their arms, who wasn’t yet capable of walking, is not only walking, but walking to class hundreds of miles away from them at an institution of higher learning.

Higher learning? When did that happen? Just yesterday, I was using counting beads to learn my multiplication tables. Just yesterday, I was learning how to write the alphabet in cursive and print. Just yesterday, I was on the teeter-totters during recess.

What happened to recess?

Time flies.

I don’t know why I’m just now realizing this in my sophomore year of college.

As I’ve aged…pause. I haven’t really aged that much.

I wonder how God sees my lifespan. “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8)

Even if I were to compare my lifespan against time itself, the teenage life of mine is virtually nothing compared to how long time has been around.

Un-pause.

As I’ve aged, I have learned something about time. Time is precious.

“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life.” -Rick Warren

My time is my life; and I can’t “make time for this” or “make time for you” because time is already here and there isn’t less or more of it. All I can do is take the time I already have and use it accordingly.

My time is my life, and literally any moment could be the end of my life. Even while I’m typing this, I could be gone.

“Life is like a lime.
Tart and tangy,
Sweet, ooh, sublime.
Quiet, speechless like a mime.
Bold and noisy like a crime.
Don’t you dare waste my time
‘Cause life can stop
On a dime.”
-An Extremely Goofy Movie

On a dime. Life can stop on a dime. And when you’re wasting time, you’re wasting life.

Every breath has the potential to be my last breath. Every breath is another chance to live. To me, every breath is borrowed from God.

Every breath is another chance to be a part of time. That should not be taken lightly. So many people did not wake up today. So many people breathed their last breaths and their lives stopped on a dime.

“Once your moment has passed, your moment’s the past and POOF! Dude, you can’t revive it or hold it.” -Da’ T.R.U.T.H.

So yes, time flies. I’m working on making sure my time doesn’t fly without purpose. My life, as short as it is destined to be, will be a life well-spent.

Crazy how time works. Just yesterday, I was singing “tick tock tick tock goes my father’s clock” in my Kindermusik program. Now, I realize that my time is my life. And my life is being spent as a college student. I’m in college. That was quick.

Time flies.

*Vegenaise: a brand of vegan mayonnaise.