When I was perhaps 13 or so, my dad told me something that really didn't make too much sense to me then. Yet, as I've gotten older, every single year I understand it more.

He told me that, as we age, our perception of time 'shrinks' – each year feeling short than the one before it – simply because of the shifting balance between our lived experience and the unknown that lays ahead. I'm sure those weren't his words, but I'm trying to paraphrase.

In his explanation, it really was about simple math; when you're just one year old, a year represents the entirety of your life experience – when you're 10, it's reduced to 1/10th – then even less, to 1/25th by your 25th birthday....and just a tiny fraction – a fiftieth – by the time you reach 50.

Time, itself, remains the same – in measurement and passage; it's only our perception that quickens.

Following that, your experience of 2016 would understandably have been elongated – stretched by the newness of your surroundings and experiences.

I love how beautifully your story fits into my Papa's theory. <3 Thank you for sharing!

^{I've actually done sooo much traveling and know how magical it can be when it comes to retaining one's youth. I'm now in a place of slowing – allowing myself to root down in ways I never really had before. Though it may mean delving deeper into my own earthen humanity – I think it's a good place for me to be. xo!}