Saturday, April 14, 2007

Time

Good evening, wonderful you. I just wanted to write a short update to tell you that the shower was nice. It was so great to see everyone and to meet a few new people, too.

I entered into a conversation with my aunt during the shower by making an observation that as I age, time seems to gain momentum. It all started earlier in the day when I asked my cousin how her new job was going. Her response was, "Good. I will have been there a year next month." My mouth fell open. I honestly felt that time had passed differently for the two of us. To me, it seemed as if she'd only been at her "new" job for two or three months, but she said that she felt the opposite. It felt completely like 12 months to her. I went over and over this in my mind for some time that day until eventually entering into the conversation about time gaining momentum; when in actuality the theory of time dilation may fit the bill more precisely. But how does that explain what happens when you see an old friend from years or decades earlier? When you speak with them, it is as if no time has passed since your last meeting. All the while, your mind is processing physical clues to justify the time passage. Even when you do notice the wrinkles or gray hair or extra weight, the actual connection between the two of you exists free of any constraints of time. Why, for example, hasn't your personality aged or your spirit or your interpersonal connection?

If you have thoughts on this, let me know. This is the kind of thing that will keep me up nights until I get some kind of reasonable explanation.

Well, per instruction from Suz, I am going to take a hot bath and de-stress. This time thing is killing my brain.

Namaste

2 comments:

Suzanne said...

Remember when Tom used to always talk about how time passes faster when you're young because, relative to yourself, a short amount of time constitutes a larger percentage of your total experience? Not sure if this is a factor in time dilation. Also, it's a trip to realize that the sould is AGELESS (and it's a little scary).

I'm SO GLAD you've started a journal so we can ponder this and other questions! Online!

MCD said...

Tom's comment is roughly what Bethany was saying yesterday, and it seems somewhat logical. Time dilation indicates that our experience of time is inherently different because it is a unique experience to each person while at the same time relative to everything else that is happening in our lives. Maybe the REAL connection is between time and responsibility, because it seems the more responsibilities I have, the less hours in a day.

I'm SO excited to have a journal! Thanks.