"The days are long, but the years are short."

"The days are long, but the years are short." 

I heard that phrase for the first time yesterday and it resounded with me. 

As I tried to look up its origin, I gathered it is usually spoken to parents with kids still at home, from "empty nester" parents and grandparents. But it is so much more than the looking back with rose colored glasses.  For you see I have discovered that there is always something filling my days and making them long and hard, and then suddenly another year has gone by. 

To me this phrase is about remembering that the years are short and fly by; so in the midst of lots of hard things fill our days and make them drag on, this reminds me to focus on the little gems of good stuff mixed up in the "drudgery", and to prioritize with the years in mind (what do I want to look back and remember). All of our choices and tasks, are what steers the direction of our life, so I don't want to be on autopilot. As much as possible and as much as it depends on me, I want to actively and consciously choose what is precious and priority, because the years go by fast, in spite of how long and hard and exhausting the days are.