HEALTHWISE COLUMN
Moving Forward. Looking Back. Being Present.
December 19, 2025
By Dr. Davidicus Wong
Healthwise is a monthly column by Burnaby family doctor Dr. Davidicus Wong, presented by the Burnaby Primary Care Network in partnership with the Burnaby Division of Family Practice. In this article, Dr. Wong reflects on time, family, and what it means to be fully present.
When I arrive home for dinner, Teddy, my Labradoodle, greets me with the joy of a toddler. He meets me with the same jumping-for-joy enthusiasm after I’ve stepped out for a few hours to buy milk…and when I return five minutes later after taking out the recycling.
I often wonder how he perceives time. When I arrive home for dinner, Teddy, my Labradoodle, greets me with the joy of a toddler. He meets me with the same jumping-for-joy enthusiasm after I’ve stepped out for a few hours to buy milk…and when I return five minutes later after taking out the recycling. I often wonder how he perceives time.
How we relate to time shapes how we experience life and value one another.
The holiday season and the arrival of a new year invites us to reflect on the year that has passed and what we anticipate in the one ahead.
When my kids were young, at this time of the year we would review the kitchen calendar where we had written the events and activities of the year: hockey, soccer, and football games and practices; dance and music lessons; school and church events, family dinners; parties with friends; and family trips. Before we brought out a new calendar, we reflected on what we had each learned, what we had enjoyed, and how we had grown. And we did this review as we had lived the year—together as a family.
Year after year, we would be surprised with all that had happened. Many of the experiences felt as if they happened much further in the past. At the time, those moments seemed to pass slowly, but looking back, the year had unfolded so quickly.
Today, all three of my children are adults living in their own homes. The Sunday night “meal safari” is now my favourite tradition, when two of my kids come home with their partners. My oldest son lives abroad, so every visit with him is a special event in my calendar. My younger son and daughter were both engaged this year, and we are looking forward to their weddings in 2026.
Though you might not keep a family calendar in your kitchen, I invite you to enjoy the highlights of the past year. Look through the photo library on your phone. Relive the places you’ve been, the evens you’ve attended, and the people with whom you shared them.
You will be amazed with what you have experienced in just 12 months. An almost universal human experience is the surprise of a new year’s arrival—and the illusion that time has passed too quickly. As we live our lives, we recognize that as the years behind us accumulate and years ahead shrink, we are growing older.
Part of the illusion of accelerating time is the growing proportion of time passed in our memories, compared to time lived in the present. For a four-year-old, one year is 25% of their total life experience so far. For my 95-year-old dad, one year is approaching just 1% of the total time he has experienced. So please be patient with your elders—and the slower drivers, walkers, and swimmers. From their perspective, they are sprinting!
For a five-year-old—and my Labradoodle—five minutes may feel like hours, and one month an eternity.
Another cause of this paradox of time perception lies in how we live our daily lives. In the 21st century, countless distractions compete for our attention as we move through each day. We can feel so busy that we don’t pause long enough to be fully present. We can feel so rushed that we might snap a quick photo with friends or of a breathtaking sight without allowing ourselves to fully enjoy these magical moments—an essential part of the experience of life itself.
I invite you to slow down the passage of time in your daily life. Embrace your loved ones with the uninhibited joy of a toddler—or Labradoodle. Do what you love to do with the people whom you love…without distractions. Be fully present in these moments.
Is there one dream that you have held close to your heart but have postponed for an imagined future?
Take the first step. Imagine where you may be in just one year if, each day, you took one small step towards that goal.
See the change you wish to be.
Carry forward the best of the past: what you have learned, how love and kindness were shared, and how you continue to grow.
You will never be as young as you are today. For every one of us, our days are numbered. We just don’t know the exact number.
Let’s make the most of this year—and the gift of each day.
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About Dr. Davidicus Wong
Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician at the PrimeCare Medical Centre. His Healthwise column appeared regularly in the Burnaby Now for over two decades. Now he delivers his monthly wisdom to you via the Burnaby Primary Care Network! You can read more about achieving your positive potential for health at davidicuswong.wordpress.com.