The Clock Is Fast By Twenty Years

In the novel My Antonia by Willa Cather, Jim, the protagonist, studies the classics. One such poet was Virgil whose quote, “Optima dies... prima fugit” Which translates to, “The best of days flee quickly” To me, this means that days go by faster than you might think so you should live your life as well as you can until you can no longer live. Although I haven't spent much time alive, I feel a connection to this quote as it pertains to my feelings on my experiences throughout my life so far.

I have no doubt been a very lucky person to have been born where and when I was and not to mention who I was born to. I'm thankful that my parents are successful, that I live in a free country that permits them to be successful, and that I live in a time where human capabilities are indefinite. Having said that, I still don't think that I spent my childhood doing the things I should have been doing. I should not have stayed inside watching television as much as I did. I should have been outside living my childhood out should be lived. Childhood is a time when a human should be most free and happy. Children should be playing with friends and learning about life and social activity. I would have probably been heavily involved in a sport of some kind by now. I might also have become a more fructuous person because I think that someone that has known responsibility early on in life will be more inclined to be committed to their responsibilities.

I also miss the feeling that everything was new. I was always coming across things I hadn't seen before and things I knew absolutely nothing about. Of course this still happens, but it occurred an innumerable amount of times as a child. I remember how, before I learned how to read, ow incomprehensible and foreign words and letters looked. One of the most intense curiosities I have ever experienced came from not knowing how to read. It was a great feeling learning about something new because it made me feel like I had an edge on the rest of the world's population. I knew something that nobody else knew. Now that I think of it, I also miss the ridiculous conclusions I often came to. As I had mentioned before,days go by fast and you should spend them doing the most beneficial things conceivable.

This makes me think about my past few years more than anything. All throughout middle school, and freshman and sophomore year, I thought