Time as a concept is relatively new in the big universal picture. Only in the last several thousand years has there been a concerted effort to break life down into increments of time.
Of course, there has always been the counting of time by way of seasonal changes. Winter, spring, summer, fall — even if those words weren’t used, people have joined in the rhythm of changing seasons the way all of life does. Mankind took note of the phases of the moon and the height of the sun in the sky to orient themselves to “time.” Meetings and celebrations were calibrated to various seasons, phases of the moon, and the placement of the sun in the sky. These things were easy to observe and immutable. People could count on them to be consistent and reliable.
In our recent history, we have left behind the seasonal and moon values for a more precise measurement. Calendars are adhered to, watches (does anyone wear a watch anymore?) are synchronized, and nearly every second of every day is accounted for.
This is not a call to go back to the way it was before, as though that way was somehow better. I do think we have lost some of our connection to nature when we spend all of our time indoors viewing video screens, but that is not what I’m thinking about today. After all, how can I watch NCIS if I try to calibrate it by moon phases? In this case, precision is good. I know that at 8:00 pm most Tuesday nights, I can watch Mark Harmon and the gang do their thing. Imagine the chaos if it weren’t precise? If NCIS started at 7:50 pm on Wednesday one week and at 9:00 pm on Monday another week? It would be totally frustrating, and no way to run a network!
What I’m talking about when I talk about the newness of time is not just the fact that the way we keep track of time is a newer event universally, but what it means to you individually. Because the newness of time, for me, means that every moment is new. It is a new beginning. Yes, you may still be involved in doing what you were doing in the previous moment, but this exact moment in time is brand new. Completely and utterly new. It has not occurred before, nor will it occur again.
In this exact moment, you are new. You get to be new. This isn’t just a new year. It is a new moment. Every moment of every day is new.
So, what are you supposed to do with that? Become totally flaky by trying to change what you are doing with every moment? No. You are not supposed to be the cartoon dog distracted by the squirrel! I simply want you to see the possibilities.
The possibilities for joy and fun and growth and change. The possibility of something totally unexpected and crazy-fun to occur! After all, every moment is new. Every possiblity is possible. By knowing that each moment in time is a new beginning, there are no excuses for being unhappy and stuck. There may be momentary reasons, but no excuses!
Because here is the key to enjoying the newness of time: you have to acknowledge that you are ultimately responsible for how you view each of your new moments in time. You may be having an exasperating day. You may have physical pain, disease, emotional turmoil. I’m not saying that it is your fault, or that you have to pretend to be happy when you are not. What I am saying is that in each moment of time you get to choose how you react to your circumstances.
Don’t you know people who have freakin’ everything in life, and yet choose to look at everything negatively? If you gave them a crown of gold and diamonds, they’d be bummed because there were no rubies and emeralds! Conversely, don’t you know people who have had a tough time and yet still find humor, grace, and fun in their lives? Of course you do. We all do. The only difference between those two types of people is how they choose to live in each moment. How they accept the newness in each moment of time. How they reflect the joy and love which is their universal birthright.
So, the newness of time is not a call to “fake happy!” The newness of time, to me, means that we have the power, in each moment of each day, to be new. To be fresh and shiny and sparkling with the joy of Divine flowing through us. That’s all. No convoluted meditation technique. No discipline or eating pattern or resolution to uphold.
Only the knowledge that you are master of your own time. You get to choose not only how you spend your time, but also how you view each new moment, each new breath, each new space in your timelime. You.
Yes, little ol’ you! Because you are the ultimate arbiter of your life and time. You get to choose to be new and glittery or sour and stale. It is up to you. Divine can give you guidance, but you get to choose. And know this–no matter what you choose, each moment is new. What you do with that newness of time is up to you!
In joy and love,
Barbara