Life is short, and time just flies by, so I love those moments

Ainsley Earhardt, with words simple yet profound, once spoke: “Life is short, and time just flies by, so I love those moments when we’re all sitting around the table together laughing and joking.” In this saying lies the eternal wisdom of generations: that the fleeting nature of existence is best answered not with endless striving or ceaseless worry, but with the embrace of shared joy, fellowship, and the sacredness of togetherness. For while the clock cannot be halted, laughter and love create timeless sanctuaries within its passing.

The meaning of this reflection is that the treasures of life are not the grand monuments we build nor the wealth we amass, but the small circles of communion—the gathering at the table, the shared meal, the sound of voices interwoven with mirth. These are the places where eternity touches the mortal, where we taste what it means to belong. Life is short, yet within a single moment of shared laughter, it feels infinite. The ancients themselves knew this, feasting together not only to eat but to remember, to honor, to bind their spirits in kinship.

History offers us many glimpses of this truth. Consider the story of Abraham Lincoln in the White House during the years of the Civil War. It is said that despite the weight of the nation upon his shoulders, he often gathered with his family and close friends to share moments of laughter. These evenings of joking and storytelling did not erase the darkness of war, but they gave strength to endure it. For in laughter, Lincoln found not escape, but renewal, proof that even amidst trial, the human soul longs for joy.

Or recall the Last Supper, when Christ sat at the table with His disciples. Though the shadow of betrayal and death loomed near, He chose to break bread and share wine, reminding them of love and unity. That gathering at the table, filled with conversation, memory, and fellowship, has echoed across centuries as the symbol of communion. Even in the face of endings, what endures in memory is the act of coming together. Thus we see that joy at the table is not trivial—it is sacred.

The lesson for us is clear: guard and cherish the moments of togetherness, for they are more precious than gold. Do not let the hunger for work, possessions, or endless distractions blind you to the joy of sitting with loved ones. Do not wait for special occasions to gather, for every day is sacred when hearts are united. The time is fleeting, and once gone, no banquet, no laughter, no conversation can be recalled again. Therefore, seize the chance to laugh, to listen, to tell stories, to hold one another in the circle of presence.

In practice, this means we must make space in our days to sit at the table with family and friends. Share meals without the intrusion of devices, allow the voices of those you love to fill the air. Celebrate not only great victories, but ordinary days, turning them into sacred feasts of joy. Let your home be a place where laughter is heard often, for in laughter, the heart is healed and bound to others.

Thus, children of tomorrow, remember Earhardt’s wisdom: life is short, time flies, but laughter shared around the table endures forever. When the years have passed and possessions have scattered, it will not be the burdens you carried that echo in your heart, but the laughter of loved ones, the warmth of shared bread, the sparkle of stories told across the table. Make room for these moments, for in them you taste the eternal, and in them you live most fully.