I am currently reading "The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon. It is an enjoyable historical fiction novel that includes a riveting murder mystery and depicts New England small-town life in the 18th century, including the imbalance in power and respect between women and men.
The protagonist, Martha Ballard, is modeled after the woman of that name who was the local midwife on the Maine frontier for several decades. Martha's diaries have been transcribed and record her life in "A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. At least some of the diary entries in "The Frozen River" are based on real entries in Martha's diaries.
While reading "The Frozen River" I was intrigued by the following quote:
"This is what it means to age....the days are long
but the years are short." (pg 54 in my publication)
This is exactly how I feel! Especially considering that we have reached the half-way point for 2026. Already!
Curious, I looked online and this perception is actually a real phenomenon!
Mr. A-I-nstein tells me:
The feeling that years grow shorter as we age is a well-documented phenomenon. It happens because each passing year represents a steadily shrinking fraction of your total life, and because adult routines provide fewer novel experiences for the brain to process and remember.
Who knew?!
This video explains the psychology, science and math behind this phenomenon:
