Why must time insist on flying by at such rapid speed these days? I mean really, one minute it was August and now, all of a sudden, it's merely a matter of weeks until we start an entirely new year again! It kind of makes me feel sad in some ways, the way life just seems to hit a particular point and then suddenly time speeds up and the years pass by like weeks, days blurring into insignificance. In fact, I was looking through my photos on Instagram last night and saw all of the ones of my time out in Sicily. Over three months spent luxuriating on the beach, eating gelato and soaking up the sun; seems like only yesterday, yet, when I calculated, it was actually over a year ago that I left there to go back to the mainland! A fact of which I can barely comprehend!
During my last trip to France, I remember standing by the window in my friend Kate's kitchen, staring out at the falling leaves, which had all of a sudden gone from a dense rich green to a golden shade of brown and discussing the concept of time. When I contemplate what I know to be true about the world, it is this - seasons come and go, the sun rises then sets and for every birth, there is a death, yet we are the only species who have felt the need to break down this natural flow and stick it so rigidly into a structured format, that we can all work around, sometimes quite literally. It is in essence though, an illusionary state, because in truth, there is no March, there is no Tuesday and even three o'clock is simply a fabrication. There is just life and life should not be fixed nor measured, although, we sure as hell like to try to.
Personally, with the nomadic, chaotic, untethered life I lead these days, I will admit that for the most part, the concept of time has slowly disintegrated. I constantly have to check with people in order to be reminded of what day it is and if it weren't for things like yoga, or meetings, I'd probably sleep in 'til noon most days. Admittedly, I know such a lifestyle is not always practical in this modern world, but I for one think that a life without the traditional calender structure actually flows better. Unlabelled days, sleeping when you're tired, rising when you're awake, eating when you're hungry, not because it's 'lunchtime'.
Perhaps if time wasn't so measured, I wouldn't worry about it going by so quickly, because maybe I just wouldn't notice. Maybe I'd just be in the flow of it and without counting up the days, who's to say how much time has passed. Life just becomes endless. I think it would be nice to be in an endless state of existence that came with no preoccupation with time, just going with the grand ebb and flow of the day, the light, my cravings, my needs. No fixed structure and the simple, yet often difficult, ability to change course at will. No hold over expectations. No fear of the end, because the end is inevitable and its timing unknown, so why not embrace the moment, especially when the moments are often so fleeting.
Maybe I'm just slipping into a bohemian coma here, maybe it's the winter hibernation, but maybe it's just time to let go of time.
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