I remember when I read Tom Hank's book Uncommon Type. There were 17 different mini stories and the one that stuck with me the most was a woman's interaction with the owner of a typewriter store. As the story progresses, you come to realise that the typewriter is just a representation of what she is really searching for: permanence. It's a desire that we can all relate to.
Physically flicking through the pages of a book, putting one photo behind the other as you go through a set of prints, placing your favourite record on the turntable (perhaps not the most relatable example). There's something wonderful about the inconvenience of something physical as it takes up space in your bag, smooshed in next to a device that could easily replace it.
We are very tactile creatures - humans are known as mankind (as in manual) after all. But I think it's more than that. Physicality brings with it that permanence, that sense that you will not disappear just because you are no longer here.
Something physical may 'take' more time, but the willingness to spend that time is an unconscious expression of love that says "You are worth the effort. I will commit to you." How wonderful is it to have that moment of peace where you slow down and do something you adore without a care in the world? How beautiful is it when someone gifts you their time and attention? Those are the incredible moments in life. Those moments when you take your time and in doing so, forget about time altogether.
It's so easy to rush. Even when I do yoga, an activity I do in order to slow down, I have to remind myself that I don't have to breathe at the exact moment that the instructor tells me to - especially when I have just that second started to breathe out! The trick for me is to remind myself that I am safe, because truthfully I only rush when I think something bad might happen if I don't.
I suppose there's just a few things I have left to say at this point:
Your time is yours and it is valuable;
Be intentional with your time, and;
Share your time when you can
And to finish up, I'll leave you with a quote by Rania Mustafa Ali:
"You have the luxury to not consider time as a dangerous concept that might kill you, but as an opportunity to thrive, so make it count."
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