Why is Time Weird?
I’ve been pondering this off and on the past few days. Does it seem like the days are passing quickly, but that the months drag on? Or does it seem like the weeks go by quickly and the days drag on? I think it maybe is different for each of us, but why?
It’s been three weeks since our highly-successful golf tournament, yet had I not been directly involved, I would believe that is was like three months ago. Meanwhile, the election is only 28 days away, but I know it will be here before we know it. (The last day to register to vote is Friday people! VOTE!)
Psychologists have all sorts of answers as to why this is, and for a fun distraction, play with this graphic article from Reuters https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/TIME/gjnvwwjegvw/. My internal body clock is pretty effective at sensing the passage of time, but strange things still happen. Like, every morning at about 6:30AM, I will have the same subject pop into my head. It’s been like that for a few months now. Isn’t that odd?
Our teachers and staff are so busy making videos and checking in on kids, their days can feel very overwhelming. So much inconsistency and lack of information only adds to our anxiety, which further distorts our perception of time, making those days feel longer even when you are busy. Now they are getting ready for a new change with students coming back into the classroom for a couple days a week. This will create some upheaval that no doubt will change the sense of time’s passage yet again.
Often, I have things to look forward to, like a movie I want to see (they postponed the release of the new Bond film -- so sad) or a trip I’m going on, but none of that is happening right now. I barely make plans a few days in advance anymore because things are changing so quickly. So days seem pretty similar, and that too affects our sense of time.
Patience patience patience. I hear this from all corners. Just wait and see what’s around the corner. This is not my gift, but I suppose one good thing in the pandemic is that I am getting better at having patience. I mean, really what can I do about it? I can’t make the concerts come back. So I wait, sometimes patiently, sometimes not!
by Jennifer Seal
October 8, 2020