Happy New Year
As we all know, time is a continuum; there really is no beginning nor end regardless of which increment we define: years, days, hours. And, yet, we reflect on the year winding down while we welcome the new one, as if one doesn't actually flow into the next.
I realize that that there are time chunks which are derived from real science. You might remember from middle school science class that the Earth's revolution around the sun defines our year (though NASA explains that it actually takes our planet 365 days, six hours and nine minutes to make it around the sun. That extra time results in an extra day about every fourth year - our "leap" years). We also know that Earth revolving once on its own axis results in our 24-hour day. But that doesn’t mean there is any physical delineation in time chunks; there is no stopping of time between Hour 24 of one day and Hour 1 of the next. The concept of time, as a culture or society defines and is ruled by it, is more of a construct; most scientists and sociologists agree on this.
What we do with our time, especially since none of us knows how much time we've got in this world, becomes crucial and possibly even misdirected. I’ve acknowledged that certain tasks on my to-do list are actually not really time-sensitive and possibly not even that important at all in the scheme of life. Still, I’ll feel a modicum of stress with an approaching “deadline” which is, more or less, not an actual end-point but an increasing mental “weight” I impose on myself.
I’m trying to stop doing this to myself and to run reality-checks on the activities and tasks which take up my time. What is crucial for my existence or helpful to others? What is enjoyable for my well-being? And which items on that list can be put off or crossed out entirely? It’s interesting to think that the one thing we cannot control in life -- the clock and its movement -- is the very thing by which we live our lives.
Sometimes it feels more manageable and comfortable to embrace time in smaller increments. Each night when I crawl into bed, usually with a good book, I relish the warmth and comfort of the sheets, the quilt, my pillow. I lose myself in whatever I’m reading. The stillness and darkness of the night in that slice of time are precious and delicious, and it’s my excuse to do nothing but…be! Despite some new and unanticipated stress and responsibility in my days, I am sleeping better for some reason. Seems counterintuitive, but I’m appreciating it immensely.
For those four, five, six, or -- if I’m lucky enough -- seven hours at night, my body stays in one location. My mind is not jumping from task to task. It almost seems like time has stood still, which the rising and setting sun each day tells me cannot be the case. I guess the concept of time is significant in its lack of a pause. A year will come to an end, though time has not actually stopped. Maybe it’s good to think of ourselves as part of the motion, the flow, the rhythm, instead of believing it’s something we need to work against.
Thank you for reading, and may this year – and all those which follow – be happy, healthy and fulfilling.
