As we walked alongside the border of the Butler University campus to drop off our son Kaleb for his freshman year in college, we came upon a house where a group of older students was playing beer pong. As we passed the house, the students asked me to join with them for a round. After seeing Kaleb look down in embarrassment, I politely declined.
Truth is, I feel as though I was just those very same students. It feels like last week when I was a senior at Brandeis embarrassing incoming freshman by holding up a sign for their parents that said, “Honk if you paid too much!”. And now, my son is beginning that same journey – transforming into the young adult that I keep thinking I still am.
As we left Kaleb at school, I kept thinking about how quick his growing up feels. When I turned eighteen and headed off to school, it felt like the end of a long and arduous journey. As I dropped Kaleb off last week, it felt like the end of the first paragraph of the introduction to a long series of novels. It was just yesterday when Kaleb was coming home from the hospital and crying in his crib. It was just yesterday when we were new parents. And now, our son is living alone in some room in Indianapolis with a French roommate named Timothee!
Time is elusive—it is constantly changing and moving in different ways as we grow older. I still remember staring at the clock in school as the second hand slowly beat its way towards three pm, the day seeming to never end. Now, I’m finding it hard to believe that its already three pm as I’m writing this. It was 7am five minutes ago!
Judaism is a religion of time – it seeks to sanctify the moments that we live in rather than the things we own. I suppose it takes getting older to recognize how important this effort is – it was much easier to take time for granted when it felt as though we had immense amounts of it.
Out of all the complex emotions I am feeling in having Kaleb at school, the one that seems to dominate is excitement. I am so excited for him. I am so excited for him to savor this time in his life – to live in the moment and truly appreciate all that is in his present. If college is anything, it is about living in the moment.
Meanwhile, as I continue to feel that time is moving like a freight train, I am reminded of the importance of all of us sanctifying and enjoying time ourselves. Yes, it keeps moving faster — but we can still embrace it nonetheless.
Wishing everyone a wonderful start to their school years and to our college kids, please savor these moments!
Shabbat Shalom.
