October 29, 2004

  • Time


    "There's not enough time for that," said M.s 4.  "Time?" sneered Ms. 6 scornfully.  "There's always plenty of time."


    I did my standard 'open-mouth/close-mouth/think-instead' routine.  On the face of it, the proclamation that there's always plenty of time goes against all the training of my almost-43 years.  Plenty?  What??  Reviewing the maxims imposed on me from infancy, one could argue that time is the one thing of which there is a constant paucity:  Time is money.  Don't waste time!  Can I please have a little of your time?  Time is of the essence.  Time's a-wastin'!  Give me more time!  No time like the present.  Be sure to track your time.  Don't spend time on that!  Time and tide wait for no man.  Now is the time to act!


    Literally, however, Ms. 6 has it absolutely to rights, space and time being two of those impossible-to-grasp, greater-than-gargantuan concepts.  Time stretches, without end, from the infinity of the past into the infinity of the future.  There is always plenty of time.


    The issue about humans and time, though, is linearity.  Time is linear, and us exceedingly finite humans each own only a very small piece of the Timeline.  So it's not actually time that's in short supply.  It's our existence in time that's limited.


    Most thinking adults grasp their own finite existence full well, but most of us also live in a dual reality in that regard.  I know I don't have much more time.  But somehow I manage to live from minute-to-minute as if I had all the time there is. 


    It jolts me, in an important way, to meet people who don't have that luxury.  This is one.

Comments (18)

  • Out of the mouths of babes.  Sounds like you are learning as much from your girls as they are learning from you.

  • It's nice that your girls still have that idea of unlimitted time.  That's as it should be for 4 and 6 year olds. 

  • Thanks for including the link... 

    There is so much out there that is worthy of my time that I would otherwise miss.

  • ......and this brings us to a nice paradox.  Indeed, there is an unlimited amount of a finite resource.

  • I'm grateful for the perspective. I try to not live in fear, to just live in the hope that I made the most of every day, because you never know.

    And every once in a while, for a brief moment or two, I feel some satisfaction, due to this practice. I hope I am around long enough to really perfect it.

  • Thanks for your comments. :)

    I've been trying to pay more attention to what my children ask me and say to me throughout the day, so that I, too, can write from the ground up, rather than throwing out ideas that seem ungrounded and unattached to anything meaningful. Your blog is a perfect example of the kind of writing I'm seeking to do more of.

  • Oops. I posted from the wrong screenname (twogirlsart). Well, now I can give you two more eprops. :)

  • I'm not wholely convinced that time is linear. I think that's something that humans have made up as a paradigm. If you look at nature, you'll see that circles or cycles are everywhere.

    What a fantastic distinction on your part said so articulately. It's not that there isn't plenty of time, it's that we human's don't have too much time on this earth in this body in this consciousness.

    I hope that there are many more lives to go. The thing that I think happens is that we just have no memory of previous lives. And so it doesn't matter if we have one life or a hundred. Each one feels like we only have one.

    Thanks for rooting for me, Faith. It's been some journey. I am an only child and so, so much of what I go through is alone.

    My friends have been enormous support but I don't let anyone get too close to the situation as I learned from an early age that leaning on others is not always a good thing.

    I have days when I feel like I am grateful for this new chance and times when I wish the transitional period was over already with my new life set in place. But it doesn't happen that instantly. I don't wish for my old job or my ex-boyfriend.

    I do wish he had not lied to me. I do wish he were the monogamous type. But he did and he isn't. I'm beginning to accept that.

    I love these little conversations between the kids. If all goes the way I believe it will, I'm going to have 11-13 years olds around me all day for a while... wow. But I'm excited and can't wait to get back into school too. I've been chomping at the bit to go back for the master's

  • How true..."But somehow I manage to live from minute-to-minute as if I had all the time there is."  I often feel surrounded by people who take advantage of their bodies and minds acting like they will last forever!  I'm sure it would not be well received if I approached someone and told them to take better care of themselves and the relationships they are surrounded with because they will not last forever.

    Kudos for making me look up "paucity".  That will be the word of the day!

  • Time is an interesting subject when looking at it from a child's perspective.  I like what you had to say (and R and L too) about it.  Anna always tell me we DO have time (for a fourth bedtime story, a trip to the mall at 7:30 pm, etc) and, you know, to her we DO have the time.

  • I wonder why Ms. 4 feels more pressured by time than Ms. 6? Is it a personality thing? I would have expected it to be the other way around, if anything.

    Very keen observation, however, about time. May your kids continue to make you think throughout your lives.

  • It's hard to learn how to live minute for minute, because so many minutes in the past have been focused on future minutes.  But I'm learning, man.  And it's good.

  • Ah, but the problem is that outside of the linear concept of time there is infinity, which we also have a place within... and it is infinity/eternity which matters more, because it is not confined to the boundaries of time... and yet no one prepares for that...

  • i read this while at work but
    due to time constraints
    had no time to comment.

    ah sweet irony of life at last i've found you

    i've had time sneak up on me and i've been lucky enough to push it back.  but, since then?  i've seemed hell bent on testing it, pushing it, stretching it, daring it, denying it's existence.

  • Interesting choice of topics, as today, I find myself debating whether to chase a job lead that pays well (slightly higher than similar ones in the area), has excellent benefits (the company president teaches yoga 3 times a week at lunch -no charge), and seems to have several quality people working there specifically because they like the environment.  The down side is that careerwise, it's more than a few steps back and a type of position that I already know will eventually drive me insane. 

    Do I follow my dream job / career path in environmental field science (which currently doesn't seem to be that obtainable) or do I take a job that I highly doubt I'd enjoy solely for the pay, benefits, and yoga?

    Life's too short; I know that. I've always considered myself to be in the fast checkout lane with regards to longevity due to my medical issues.  The question (posed by the link you provided) is how do you conduct yourself in the short term not knowing the exact length of your long term existence.

    If anyone has that particular answer, I'm more than willing to listen.

  • Well, yes, "there's always time" is a truism, provided you're prepared to re-prioritize.  The downside always exists.  The trick is to focus on the upside.  Great blog, and thanks for the link.

  • You are quite an amazing human being, you know???

  • I found your blogring and was intrigued, excited.

    Then I read your members and I was disappointed.

    Does anyone actually do what your blogring profile advertises?

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