A man was fishing by a river when a bear suddenly bit him from behind. While fishing, he noticed the calm before a storm and knew more bad weather was coming. A young man struggled to find a role model and instead focused on learning from others' mistakes. The passage discusses how one's perception of the passage of time changes throughout life based on responsibilities and experiences. A nervous man presented a project and anxiously awaited feedback, finding the brief silence felt much longer.

1. He swung back the fishing pole and cast the line which ell 25
feet away into the river. The lure landed in the perfect spot and
he was sure he would soon get a bite. He never expected that
the bite would come from behind in the form of a bear.

2. • The rain and wind abruptly stopped, but the sky still had the gray
swirls of storms in the distance. Dave knew this feeling all too well.
The calm before the storm. He only had a limited amount of time
before all Hell broke loose, but he stopped to admire the calmness.
Maybe it would be different this time, he thought, with the
knowledge deep within that it wouldn't.

3. • The young man wanted a role model. He looked long and hard in his
youth, but that role model never materialized. His only choice was to
embrace all the people in his life he didn't want to be like.

4. • Time is all relative based on age and experience. When you are a child an
hour is a long time to wait but a very short time when that’s all the time
you are allowed on your iPad. As a teenager time goes faster the more
deadlines you have and the more you procrastinate. As a young adult, you
think you have forever to live and don’t appreciate the time you spend with
others. As a middle-aged adult, time flies by as you watch your children
grow up. And finally, as you get old and you have fewer responsibilities and
fewer demands on you, time slows. You appreciate each day and are
thankful you are alive. An hour is the same amount of time for everyone
yet it can feel so different in how it goes by.

5. • "So, what do you think?" he asked nervously. He wanted to know the
answer, but at the same time, he didn't. He'd put his heart and soul
into the project and he wasn't sure he'd be able to recover if they
didn't like what he produced. The silence from the others in the room
seemed to last a lifetime even though it had only been a moment
since he asked the question. "So, what do you think?" he asked again.