A few weeks back, as 2017 came to a close, it seemed like as good a time as any to recount all the weird and remarkable events that had happened in the span of 365 days. But with all that happened, good or bad, I could only come up with one word to characterize the year: short.

On January 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated into office, dramatically changing the United States’ political landscape, and perhaps the course of history. On August 21, the sun and the moon perfectly aligned and gave darkness a whole new meaning. “The Last Jedi” was released on December 14th.

After being completely dumbfounded about the pace of 2017, I did some research. Scientists believe that the reason time goes by quicker when you get older is that when we are children, we have new experiences and learn new things. Those types of events are almost like milestones or hallmarks that tend to slow the clock the down.

As we grow older, the new, unfamiliar moments become fewer and farther between. Therefore, when we look back on our lives, we tend to over-represent our younger years, and our current years seem significantly shorter.

So, as we gently dip our toes in the new year, unsure of the murky waters ahead, I’m looking to slow things down a bit. As I start making my way through 2018, my one resolution is this: to live life like a four year old.

Picture a toddler, drifting through life with fresh, excited eyes. Everything is new to them; everything is an exhilarating experience. They treat each moment as if it is a rare, undiscovered creature. Special and fleeting.

After this decision, I couldn’t help but consider my own views of my everyday endeavors. Why aren’t I excited to drive to school every morning?

Moments, in all of their complexity, are eventually dulled over time when you live them too often. Routines tend to taint beautiful experiences with mundanity.

As I make an effort to drag things out, I’m going to take a shot at experiencing things more fully. Intensely. Living with all my senses.

From now on, I’m diving head first into moments, appreciating even the simplest trip to the mailbox for all the “time-drag” it brings.

And I’ll try to take each moment for what it’s worth. Because if we start paying attention to the little things, the routines that seem to be speeding life up won’t be routines anymore.