Time flies really quickly. It feels like only a few months ago

Jake Arrieta, a pitcher who carved his name into the history of the game, once reflected with the humility of memory: “Time flies really quickly. It feels like only a few months ago that I was traded over here and started my career as a Cub in 2013.” These words are not merely about baseball; they are about life itself. In them, he captures the fleeting nature of time, the strange illusion that great spans of years vanish like smoke, leaving only the echo of moments that feel as fresh as yesterday.

The meaning of this reflection is simple yet profound. Time, in its relentless passage, does not wait for man. Seasons of struggle and triumph seem long when lived, but when remembered, they collapse into a single breath. Arrieta’s years with the Chicago Cubs—years of transformation, glory, and a World Series victory that ended a century-long drought—passed as though they were but months. His words remind us that when one is fully immersed in the work of their life, years fall away unnoticed, and what remains are the memories of labor, triumph, and fellowship.

The origin of these words rests in Arrieta’s journey. In 2013, he was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago Cubs, a move that seemed at the time like a chance at redemption. In Chicago, he not only resurrected his career but reached heights that few pitchers ever touch. In 2015, he won the Cy Young Award, and in 2016, he stood among the heroes who delivered the Cubs’ first championship in 108 years. Yet even after such glory, he looked back in awe at how quickly it had all passed, marveling at the speed with which a decade had flown.

History offers countless parallels to this truth. Consider Alexander the Great, who conquered the known world before the age of thirty. To him, the years of battle must have seemed like a lifetime in the moment, yet when death came early, it is said he lamented how swiftly his days had flown. Or think of Florence Nightingale, who in the long nights of the Crimean War must have felt the hours stretch endlessly, yet later spoke of those years as fleeting, swallowed by the urgency of her mission. Time feels long in its living, yet short in its remembrance.

The lesson for us is both sobering and empowering: life is brief, and its moments vanish faster than we imagine. What seems like a long chapter will one day feel like a few pages, lightly turned. Therefore, do not wait idly, nor waste your days on things unworthy of your soul. If time will fly regardless, let it carry you through deeds of meaning, through work that brings joy, through bonds that will endure in memory even when years are gone.

Practical wisdom flows from this truth. Cherish the present, for soon it will be the past. Do not delay the pursuit of dreams, the speaking of love, the courage to act. Pour yourself fully into each season—whether it is your labor, your family, your friendships, or your art. For when you look back, as Arrieta did, the years will seem to have flown—but if you have lived them with purpose, you will smile at their swiftness rather than mourn their loss.

Thus, Arrieta’s words, though spoken of baseball, are teachings for all. “Time flies really quickly.” Yes, it does. But the speed of time need not sadden us; it can inspire us. Let it remind us to live fully in each inning, to embrace every chapter, to savor victories and endure struggles. For when the years have passed, and they will pass like lightning, what remains is not the span of time itself, but the legacy of how we lived within it.