Digitisation may well be only 50 years old. Industrialisation a mere 250 years old. Civilisation as we know it just 6,000 years old. But life goes back much further than that of course. 'Modern' humans are well over 200,000 years old. Animals are 800 million years old. And earth itself has been around for over 4.5 billion years. So relative to the existence of everything, each of our lives is tiny. So tiny in fact that the notion of any of us actually becoming 'old' inside such a miniscule window of time could be perceived as quite absurd. Yet we hear it, don't we? People saying 'it's too late for this', and 'it's too late for that'. Or that they couldn't possibly start such a thing 'at this late stage'. Well, here's the news. 50 years (or whatever you are) into your personal chapter of a 4.5-billion-year existence - really is tiny. You're not too old. And you're not too late for anything.
I smiled as I thought about this important subject recently. I smiled as I pondered the plight of the mayfly. The mayfly lives for one day. But I’ve never imagined a mayfly slowing down in its 18th hour. Drawing a pension. Spending its final six hours taking endless cruises and watching Countdown. I actually imagined a much more vibrant, urgent and energetic mayfly. Right to the very end. Before being forced to reluctantly check-out with a disconsolate ‘tut’ as the insect version of The Grim Reaper came to call just a few seconds before the end of its 24th hour. Poor thing. I imagined the mayfly’s vibrancy, urgency and energy because I compared the mayfly’s one single day of existence to my 80 years. But wait a minute. 80 years compared to 4.5 billion years gives me the same feeling. And leads me to same conclusion. That a vibrant, urgent and energetic life – right to the very end – might very well be the best kind for me also. And, dare I say, for you too. Life is such a gift. But it’s a small gift. It’s short. So surely it makes sense to accelerate and adventure as much as we can, for as long as we can? Surely it’s best to reduce to an absolute minimum those, ‘I wish I had’ thoughts – replacing them with the rather more lovely, ‘I’m glad I did!’ ones. Because let’s face it, we already know from experience is that it’s the things we didn’t do that we regret most. Not the things we did. Your chapter is right now. And the end comes soon enough. So think back to the way you approached doing things for the first time as a 20 year old. When you weren’t overthinking, I mean. Or maybe you weren’t thinking at all. Because just a few years later, in the overall timeline of forever, you’re not that much further on. And you’re still you. Today is a great day to start a new thing! Because 50 years (or whatever you are) into your personal chapter of a 4.5-billion-year existence really is tiny. You’re not too old. And you’re not too late for anything.
