As I scramble to write this Perspective, I admit I have issues with time.
My sister and I share this and have speculated (or tried to justify) that it’s only through procrastination that we do our best work – that we really are working on a subconscious level, even when there’s no visible sign of productivity.
At my library last week, my subconscious made contact with the physical world when, serendipitously, I discovered a three-volume encyclopedia on time as it relates to science, philosophy, theology, history and culture. Many people have spent much time thinking, researching, and experimenting with this phenomenon that seems to hover just out of reach.
Have you ever tried to be in the moment, and how long is a moment? No matter how long, I do aspire to the mantra Ram Dass shared many decades ago: “Be here now.”
The challenge these days is an exponential growth of distractions. Although, I guess I’m in some kind of moment when I spend many minutes before midnight moving letters around on my phone trying to out-strategize my friends in wordplay.
People like me, who are more oriented in circular time, can be judged harshly by those who view time as linear and monochromic. Our society runs on linear schedules and we have to adapt, but it can sure feel unnatural at times.
Isn’t it amazing when you experience a sense of timelessness? When you’re so wrapped up in a conversation, an idea, a movie, or a piece of music that the past and future disappear. Where did that time go?
I’mPaula Garrett, and that’s my perspective – just in time.
