The Flow of Time

An aspect of life I find fascinating is the quality of time. During a regular working week it seems that time is a pressure of schedules & deadlines, but during my wanders it seems time begins to ebb and flow like a river. I learned many years ago to manage without a watch. The constant glances at my wrist to determine the order of tasks had become an unconscious annoyance, I realised that the watch was becoming a shackle to my working day and set limits and constraints to my wanders.

With the shackle removed I felt freer and after a while I began to take more time to sit, think and observe. When things caught my attention I could stay a while and learn. I noticed the pale band around my wrist where the watch used to be had returned to what it should be.

When I wander during more social hours it becomes interesting to see the actions of others who I share the trails with. Some seem to force their way focusing on the immediate steps ahead, others act like flustered shepherds driving children though leisure time to their next appointment, but some seem to be of my mindset. From the walker who stops for a while to drink in the sights to the parent who stands with their child sharing the curiosity of seeing a creature or plant for the first time.

Perhaps next time you look at the designer watch, it will not be so appealing. For all its beauty, precision parts and expensive components, it can hurry you through life and possibly strip you of experiences you could only get to see and share once.