Time, Touch Us Gently

Sundial. Colonial Williamsburg. (Click picture for larger view)

"Touch us gently, Time!
Let us glide adown thy stream
Gently, - as we sometimes glide
Through a quiet dream!
~ Barry Cornwall (pseudonym of Bryan Waller Procter),
A Petition to Time

Time is mysterious and magical. To all children, time is like the tortoise slowly plodding along, not getting anywhere very fast. Summer is always too short and those months from the start of school until Christmas seem an eternity away; the time between Spring Break and Summer holiday, even longer. Years flow like molasses..... "will birthdays ever come", "will I ever get to ride a real bicycle", "will I ever get to Junior High", "will I ever get out of Junior High", "will Mom ever let me date", "will I ever get to drive a car", "will I ever get out of high school", "will I ever get into college"? So slow for them; so unbearably fast for parents. When does it change? When does time suddenly seem to fly past with speed that leaves us breathless? As a child I wished time to fly and now I long for it to slow down, if only just a little. Children, be careful what you wish for ....

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "time". (end of post)