At the time I posted about this, I wondered whether daily life would have a different pace if we paid attention only to hours, rather than to minutes, let alone seconds. The development of mechanical clocks allowed tracking of time during both day and night, and on cloudy days—a definite advantage over the sundial.
Much of my work life was run by deadlines. That’s not true now, but sometimes I still tend to behave and feel as though it is. I get over-invested in punctuality and making sure things are done “on time.” I almost never have a set schedule these days; my day planner is largely empty space. But that old drive lingers on. The drive is the problem, not setting a time or meeting an appointment. It’s about how I approach these set points. In 1970, Gestalt therapist Barry Stevens published a book titled Don't Push the River (It Flows by Itself). The title was arguably the best part. I have spent so much time pushing the river.
Either way, I still got to the hall. When I moved deliberately but without rushing, staying in the flow, I found my mind was already more at rest when meditation began.
Time passes, whether precisely measured or not. Sometimes we do need to work quickly or move swiftly—but we gain nothing when we translate that into feeling pressured, pushed, anxious, or rushed because of old habits.
7 Comments
Teresa
5/23/2021 11:45:57 am
Thanks Jodi, since I retired I don't really need to be in a hurry anymore, but I still notice the habitual pattern of rushing around. There is no need to be in a hurry anymore and when I catch myself doing it, I take a breath and slow down. Thanks for the reminder1 Love that clock kit, I think I need one!
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Susana
5/23/2021 12:18:44 pm
Dear Ms. Larson,
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Jody
5/23/2021 06:12:02 pm
Dear Hopeful,
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Susana
5/23/2021 06:38:52 pm
Thanks for your cogent reply to the mess Spellcheck made of what I tried to write. Now I can barely remember what that was because too much of that strange stuff, time, has passed. But I meant something, I’m sure of that.
Jodie
5/24/2021 05:57:51 am
How lovely not to be controlled by the clock and always checking to see “what time is it?”
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Jody
5/24/2021 07:45:55 am
My morning "alarm clock" is the sound of the coffee maker at work. :)
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Deborah Robbins
5/24/2021 07:53:26 am
Your essay has a nice meander, moving from timepieces to time itself. When sheltering in place lowered upon us, my battery-powered wristwatch promptly stopped. I couldn’t run out to a jeweler’s for a replacement battery, so my husband offered me his to wear. After a few weeks, I left his watch in the drawer. We were only going out for medical treatments, and in that setting a watch on the wrist looked like a germ-catcher. Now, many months later, I have lost the lifelong habit of glancing at my wrist to know the time.
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