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Please read slowly. Take time to think about what you’ve read, especially at the paragraph breaks. Imagine each comma, ellipsis… and period as reminders to slow down.
Start by taking a few moments to relax and get comfortable in your chair or wherever you are. If you can’t; if it’s too noisy or too hurried now, read this later when you can give it ten good minutes. You can move around any time you want to be even more comfortable… because you don’t have to do anything right now except be comfortable, and relaxed, and breathe.
Take a couple of comfortably deep breaths. Not too deep, just comfortably deep. Imagine you are breathing in relaxation, and breathing out tension… Breathing in comfort, and breathing out pain. So that with each breath, you can become more and more comfortably relaxed.
Good. Scan through your body briefly and identify any particularly tense parts, and try to relax them. Start with your feet and move up. Take your time with this; there’s no hurry.
When you are as relaxed as you want to be… or can be at this moment… bring your mind, if you will, to the idea of time. Not the stress of time, not the schedules you’re on or the things you have to do, but to the very nature of time itself… what time actually is.
Think about it. In this culture, and in most modern cultures, we think of time as a rushing river, or a speeding train…a bullet train. And we have to chase the train and catch it, or risk being left behind…or run over. And every day, we have to chase the train down and catch it again.
And that is one, valid way to think of time… But it’s not the only way. Most people, in most places, in most cultures that have ever existed, do not think of time like that at all.
For example, farming people think of time as moving in circles. Each day goes around from sunrise, to noon, to evening and comes back around to the same place again. And what you don’t do today, you can do tomorrow. Nothing to chase, no way to be left behind.
And each year goes around in circles…spring, summer, moving through the seasons and coming back to the same place year after year. And what you don’t do this year, you can do next year. There’s no way to be left behind, because it’s all coming back to you.
Take a few moments and imagine yourself in a place where time moves in circles. Perhaps close your eyes and imagine you’re in the country somewhere where you can feel the season you’re in and the time of day…the moon and the sun circling slowly overhead…and nothing is missed, because it all comes back… over and over.
Stay there as long as you want.
I think you’ll agree that’s a more relaxing way to think of time. But be aware that the pre-farming people, the hunters and gatherers, see time even more peacefully than that. They think of time as being like a lake. It doesn’t go anywhere. You still move around in time…mornings, afternoons. But time itself isn’t moving, you have all you want.
Imagine time as a lake, or a still sea. And you can float on it, you can splash around in it… You have centuries of time to the right of you, and centuries of time on your left. And ages of time behind you, that got you to where you are, and ages of time in front of you.
You still have things to do. But now you have all the time you could ever want, or ever need, or ever use. An ocean of time, spreading out in all directions to eternity. No way to be left behind, no way to be left out, no time limits to expire…it goes on forever.
Imagine yourself in the ocean of time. Take a few minutes and experience having all the time you could ever want, or ever need, or ever use.
And be aware, as you relax here, that in this same ocean of time, or around the edges of the ocean, are everyone you have ever loved, and everything you have ever loved.
And you can reach them with a thought, or with a prayer, because time is a still sea, where the slightest ripple of thought or intention goes on forever.
And nothing is ever lost, and no one is ever lost, because time is infinite.
If you wish, go ahead and reach out to someone with a thought…or with a prayer. And be assured that, currently living or not, they will get that message eventually.
Take as long as you want for this.
Now, if you spend your whole life in the ocean of time, you will miss some appointments. But if you spend your whole life on the bullet train of time, you get to the end far too fast, and you will miss most of the scenery along the way.
Perhaps you can find a balance. Perhaps you can spend at least a few minutes each day in time’s ocean. Listen to a relaxation tape, watch the birds, watch the sunset…
Remember that it all goes on…it all comes around…as it has since long before you were born, and will still go on long after you are gone…and you don’t have to do anything about it. You are part of it, just by being, and breathing.
Take a few more moments to relax and enjoy the feeling of having all the time you could ever want, or ever need, or ever use. Then start to bring yourself back to the current moment. Remember your body and where you are. But keep breathing and stay relaxed, because you really do have all the time you want for the important things. It’s the trivial stuff that wears you out.
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If you’re willing, take a minute and let me know what you thought of this exercise by posting a comment. I’m hoping on-line relaxation works for you. I’m planning to record it as a relaxation disc, so people could listen instead of read, but I haven’t done it yet. Maybe I need a push, or some help. Let me know.
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David – Please do record this. It’s really a lovely meditation and slowed me down nicely just reading it. Thanks so much – Marty
This helped me immediately – just by reading it, not even doing it as an exercise. The circles analogy, then the lake. Thanks!
Thanks for writing this David. I think the last 10 years I’ve been on the bullet train and I need to find a way to get off before I get derailed.
Hi David – a note from a friend/fellow educator – we have worked together in the past – not sure if you remember me. I really enjoyed the essay and have passed the site link onto a patient who struggles with many stress issues. Thanks!
This is worth recording. It’s grounded in truth. There’s nothing flaky or “New Age” about the content, other than choosing to focus on relaxation. Busy people who don’t buy all those other New Age tapes will benefit from this one. You have a gift at speaking helpfully and truthfully.
Very insightful. All too often I am hoping to reach the end of the line.
What a delightful way to experience time. I will recommend your approach on my blog very soon (at least as soon as time floats my way and I can do it comfortably). Too often I’m on that train speeding toward some goal so far in the future that I truly miss the wonderful currents of today’s pleasures.
Those who like the lake of time may also enjoy
http://crashinglybeautiful.tumblr.com
don’t miss the “older” link at the bottom. When I go to this site, I am always astonished, awed and slowed down!
I loved the idea of an ocean where in I could send my love and thanks to those gave so much to me. The words unsaid before it seemed time ran out. Perhaps the ripples can carry my feeling onto them. It feels they are somehow way ahead and not behind. Just thoughts that arose during the meditation. Thank you. It is beautiful.
Oh, sooo relaxing just reading—almost put me to sleep! You really should record this for people to listen to. I had some relaxation tapes many years ago when I was having panic attacks. This remind me of those tapes. I could listen to them and would go to sleep almost every time before one was completed. Really helped me alot. I think this essay would be very helpful to people if they could listen to it.
Hello David:
A friend just forwarded me this link. Soooooo, to be really honest, the lake analogy/imagery only partially worked for me (I definitely liked the latter part of it where you brought in the communication with others part). Now, I will admit to often having a hard time getting out of my head, so it may just be me. But I guess I felt myself treading water, which was rather an antithetical feeling to what I suspect you’re trying to encourage in the first place 🙂 (and again, perhaps that’s just me at the moment). But I also found myself wondering, well, what about the land? We’re not just in water (given that you named the body of water as a “lake” or a “sea”). The circles, however, totally worked as imagery for me. This was a great graf: “Now, if you spend your whole life in the ocean of time, you will miss some appointments. But if you spend your whole life on the bullet train of time, you get to the end far too fast, and you will miss most of the scenery along the way.” And altho I think the last line of the post (about the trivial stuff wearing you out) is perhaps the best line in the whole piece, it really isn’t true for everyone that we always have enough time for the important stuff — at least, as soon as I read that I thought of folks dying of cancer or something like that (I did just see a movie with that theme). Last, as pretty much everyone above suggests: do a recording. Reading a computer screen is inherently not a meditative practice — quite the opposite, it stimulates certain parts of the brain you’re specifically trying to quite in a mediation, so your brain is literally working at cross purposes this way. Perhaps, til you get a recording, recommend that folks print it out and read to themselves while in a comfortable place (often also not easy to get comfy at your computer 🙂 ). Best of luck to you. Even though the body of water image didn’t totally work for me, I still think this was a very helpful and worthwhile exercise and that you are reaching out to help people — to touch them in that lake — is admirable. Cheers. S
Thanks so much for all these positive and thoughtful comments. Susan, I hear you about the water not being a relaxing place for some people. I wonder how to fix that. Would it be better to make the water shallow, so you can stand up in it if needed, or make it magical, so you can endlessly float without effort, or invite people to have a boat or float of some kind if they need it? Would appreciate hearing what readers think about this.
I stand by the idea that “we really do have all the time we need for the important things.” But you have to pay attention to them! If you let them go and get caught up in the trivial, you may, in fact, run out of time.
Yours for wellness, justice, and peace
David Spero RN
Thank you for this meditation with some important perspective-changing concepts with respect to time and how we experience it. I know about time being circular from study of older cultures, but forget it easily in the rush of daily life. Thanks for reminding me. I’m not sure anything additional is needed for the water imagery, such as making it magical, etc. I think some particulars might appeal to some and maybe not others. I prefer embellishments that reflect “real life,” but in this case, I kinda like the idea of an ocean of time, which would be more fantastical and open to interpretation. I think that you might introduce the idea that if the listener would feel more comfortable with a boat nearby or the ability to walk toward a distant shore, etc., then you could subtlely suggest it without spelling it out. (I.e., know that you can move about any way you need to and you are always safe, always supported.) That way it does leave more to individual taste and interpretation. Good luck. I’m interested in this because I like to modify written meditations that I find to what would work for me. Even better — an mp3! That would be great!
I dont like the lake time, I’m not religious. I do appreciate the exercise, and the farmers view of time and the year. Thank You, since I am tired of the bullet train.
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