Then vs. Now: The Quiet Shock of Realizing How Time Moves

This narrative is all about more than just being left-handed; it really dives into the importance of being mindful in the present moment. You might be thinking, "What’s the link to 'Left-Handed by Design'?" Well, it’s not super direct, but I felt compelled to share this story for a bunch of reasons. It’s a nice way to hit pause on the daily grind and reminisce about how I ended up here.

Occasionally, while exploring social media platforms, I come across those succinct "then vs. now" videos. These clips showcase actors from various television series that were prominent during my formative years, such as The Brady Bunch, Petticoat Junction, Hawaii Five-0, and The Partridge Family, among others. These familiar faces became a welcome presence in our living rooms long before the advent of streaming services and the convenience of effortless rewinds.

The video always starts the same way: a bright, familiar face from decades ago, paired with the age they were when the show aired. And then, with a swipe or a dissolve, the “now” appears. Except in so many cases, “now” is no longer a living moment. It’s the age they were when their life ended.

It’s jarring. Almost chilling.

Because in our minds, they never aged.

Cable reruns and streaming platforms keep them suspended in time, forever young, forever vibrant, forever exactly as we remember them.

But time didn’t freeze for them. And it hasn’t frozen for us either.

There’s just something about that contrast—the “then” we remember and the “now” that keeps changing—that hits harder than just nostalgia. It makes you realize how fast life zooms by, right? Decades fly past without even asking us. And those folks who colored our childhoods, our daily lives, and our cozy moments? They lived full lives beyond the snapshots we still hold on to.

And it makes me realize how precious time truly is. 

Not in the dramatic, bucket-list way.

But in the everyday way, the way we show up for each other, the way we speak, the way we pay attention, the way we choose to spend the hours we’re given. 

Those videos aren’t really about actors. They’re about us. 

They’re about the distance between who we were and who we are.

They’re about the memories we hold and the moments we still have.

They’re about honoring the “then” while living fully in the “now.”