You're Not Late

Feb 16, 2022

Do you feel like the starting gun went off at the new year and you’re already behind, a mere six weeks into it? It's going to be harder and harder to catch up. That's the background niggling feeling, but it's just not true. Where does this pressure come from?

Clocks and calendars might lead us to believe that time is objective. However, time is actually subjective. I have this experience in every kids Yoga class I teach.

I’ve taught thousands of classes. I know the routine. I have a good sense of how long each activity will take and how to add in or take out pieces to fit the allotted time. And yet, during each class I move through this range of feelings in regards to time. I’ll check the clock and think, “Oh, dear. So much time left. Do I have enough prepared to fill the time?” Then, I’ll look at the clock again and think, “Oh, dear. Time is going by so fast. Will I have enough time to fit in all I want to cover with the kids today for a well-balanced class?” And back and forth it goes for the hour-long class until it ends right on time after we’ve done all the things.

Does this happen to you? This gives me a good insight into the subjective nature of time.

The flow of time also seems to be in relation to how much I like something. When I sat in detention in high school a minute felt like an hour. Whereas an entire day in the woods seems to fly by in an instant.

For a time in my life, I travelled and lived mostly outside. I got to the point where I could tell the time of day within 15 minutes by the position of the sun in the sky. This is the experiment I suggest now. Let go of the clock. Maybe on a Sunday when the schedule is open. Commit to tuning into nature’s clock. Slip between the cracks of the clock to exist and play in timeless being.

Timeless being. This is our true nature. Deep exhale. Relax. You're not late, you're right on time. You're beyond time.

Henry David Thoreau says -"It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?"

And I love what Saint Francis de Sales says about time and meditation - “Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.” So true.