About Time
I don’t know about you; but if I watch or read anything that involves explanations about space/time I lose the plot in about 30 seconds. Even with the lovely Professor Brian Cox (brain the size of a planet) who tries to make everything accessible; for a very brief period, moments probably I am thinking I get this. Then almost as fast I am totally and utterly lost. Even Terry Pratchett’s great books, based on science, witty, easy to read, anything time based no, nada, incomprehensible. I just read on and hope the rest of the plot makes sense. To be fair this approach made reading the Time Travellers Wife a lot more comprehensible. I am ok at the Back to the Future or About Time films level because I can see the consequences of time travel playing out with characters.
This brings me to Harry Potter; Hermione Grainger had a time turner in one film; this allowed her to move forwards and backwards in time and add a lot more lessons to her day. Which suited her perfectly.
Professor Slughorn had an hourglass that moved slowly if the conversation was interesting and quickly if it was dull.
Have you ever noticed that time does have different qualities?
I can remember being so bored at times when I was a child; waiting for my granny as she gossiped with a neighbour, Maths on a Tuesday afternoon, last two lessons – purgatory! (The teacher was terribly dull). Time was heavy, so slow and ponderous.
As I have got older time has sped up, but I am more aware of it’s quality. Personally mornings are the best, there is a peaceful, focussed energy to the time – providing I get up when I wake up – not if I lie in – time then becomes sluggish but oddly quick. Almost as if it is moving more quickly but in a gluey fashion.
What about the time when you are totally absorbed, maybe having a fascinating conversation, doing something creative, being in nature?- in a flow state – time almost seems to hang suspended. Or is it is that you are suspended in that time, held in a space of total calm, absorption and peace. You really lose your edges and become part of time; you are totally focussed on something and all the noise and flurry drops away, new ideas may bubble up. You expand into the moment. There is a quote from Brideshead Revisited where Charles Ryder describes his time in Venice with Sebastian Flyte as “drowning in honey – stingless” Which I think accurately describes the suspension and the sweetness of the suspension.
This has to do with right brain function; which is all about synthesis, making sense of all the bits of information that the left brain presents. The right brain is gentle and all encompassing and in an ideal world the left brain serves it. What tends to happen in our information obsessed world is that the left brain thinks it perpetually right and has all the answers. It’s very busy and bossy but it doesn’t join up the dots.
Giving yourself the opportunity to for slow quiet time enables your right brain to synthesise, helps you notice what you really want and need (not what the left brain tells you that you ‘should’ need).
Other added benefits are your nervous system calm down, your immune system function improves, blood pressure is lowered and you feel really in touch with what is around you; suspended in it even.
Imagine lying in a comfortable hammock, under a tree in a warm climate with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves above you.
Time will slow down to hold you and you will emerge feeling whole, calm and peaceful.