TIME - by Odunlade Emmanuel

I have always found it interesting that time is one of the few things we all experience, yet we rarely experience it in the same way. As a 200-level student, four years once sounded like a long time. In my first year, university seemed like a distant journey with enough time to figure everything out. Now, sitting in 200 level, I realise that time does not necessarily feel long when you are actually living through it. A semester begins with plans. There is always that feeling that there is enough time to read, attend lectures, meet deadlines and perhaps even have a life outside academics. Then, somehow, tests begin appearing, assignments start piling up, and before you know it, examinations are already around the corner. It makes me wonder about the way we understand time. We often treat it as though it is something waiting for us. I will do it later. I still have time. There is always next week. But time does not wait. It moves whether we are prepared for it or not. Perhaps this is why human beings have always tried to measure time. From ancient calendars and sundials to the watches and phones we carry today, we have continuously searched for ways to understand something that cannot be held. Yet, measuring time is not the same as understanding it. An hour spent waiting for good news can feel longer than an entire afternoon spent with friends. A difficult period can make a few months feel endless, while a happy period can disappear almost unnoticed. So maybe time is not only about the ticking of a clock. Maybe it is also about experience. The strange thing is that we often recognise the value of time only after it has passed. A semester becomes meaningful when we realise how quickly it ended. A conversation becomes important when it becomes our last one with someone. A particular stage of life becomes precious when we discover that we cannot return to it. And perhaps that is the part of time that deserves more attention. We are always preparing for tomorrow, while yesterday is quietly becoming history. As a 200-level student, I do not know exactly where the next few years will take me. I have plans, expectations and a lot I still want to understand. But I am beginning to realise that I should not become so occupied with where I am going that I forget to notice where I currently am. Because one day, this 200-level version of me will also become a memory. And when that happens, I hope I can look back and say: I was present while it was happening.

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