When the shutdowns happened in 2020, one of my first concerns was how they would damage our experience of time.
Time is linear and moves steadily forward, but we experience it cyclically: in days and seasons. Humans (and animals) live in cycles—departures and returns. For many, certain days are set aside as days of rest and recreation; they are new beginnings. To remove these new beginnings—these returns—is to take away something fundamentally natural to human experience and necessary for deepening knowledge and growth.
The seasonal unfolding of time gives us repeated opportunities to see and hear and feel anew. Every year, spring and summer come with their fullness of color and growth; every year, fall and winter with their cold and darkness; every year, the same holidays, the same recurring dates that remind us of life’s process: birthdays and anniversaries. We move forward, but time moves around us. We depart from these yearly celebrations and travels and liturgies, back to our families and homes and jobs—living—taking on new sufferings and consolations, and then we return again. Sometimes they seem to return to us.
These movements of closeness and withdrawal—the continuous opportunity to visit and revisit ourselves and our experiences—must serve some purpose. Aren’t our daily experiences much of the same? We awaken in the same room, amidst the same sounds (although these also ebb and flow with the seasons)—the patter of little feet, the running of water—and our days take a similar form: chores, work, meals, rituals, rest.
Although there are many reasons to try to keep a daily rhythm at home, this one is for me the most compelling: that a cyclical experience of time seems written into human existence and perhaps necessary for human flourishing. (This kind of rhythm also reflect the rule of life and prayer that many religious communities follow.) It is what we are made for, at least on this side of eternity.
For some of us, daily rhythms and disciplines may come easily. For others (myself included), they may be more challenging. In any case, I wonder what wisdom and peace we might find as we embrace time’s cyclical presence through intentional daily living. The same always can be new.
Ideas for growing in an experience of time—
- Keeping daily and weekly rhythms (not so much the timing of activities but their order)
- Helping children keep a daily rhythm ( ” ” )
- Stopping for a minute or two during transitions from one activity to the next (remembering that this present moment has never been and will never be again)
- Decorating seasonally (or just phasing certain pieces in and out)
- Keeping record of when you read books and articles
- Keeping a long-term journal to trace time across years and seasons of life
& A few practical resources
A couple years later, I am grateful that time was not harmed for our family as much as it might have been (although saddened for others for whom it has not been restored). It turns out that humans’ experience of time is indeed much deeper than events and obligations. Time is something worth contemplating deeply and living intentionally. What does it bring us? What does it take away?
A linear path is the only way we have, but there might be a few habits to better prepare us for the eternal, in which all things will be present all at once, with no before or after.
Sources:
+ Papier Mid-year planner, $29: (because I never remember to order in January!) Loved this bright, floral pattern for 2020-21. Bought this one for 2021-22!
+ Daily Rhythm cards, $8 download: for children. Sometimes, keeping to a daily rhythm is just as hard for me, so I’m hoping these will keep us all on track.
+ Five Year Journal, $17: for helping to recall daily events of past years. My husband has faithfully used one since we got married. This is an interesting way to reflect on how life changes (and changes us) over time.
+ The Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot, price varies: I admit that this is not practical per se, but these poems about time, pain, and healing are exquisite and meaningful. I wrote my graduate essay on this and another great work Augustine’s Confessions. I can’t help but recommend reading these often.
