Slowing the Passage of Time

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​"The best way to capture moments is to pay attention."
-  Jon Kabat-Zinn

Photo by Agê Barros on Unsplash

​[2 Minute Read or Listen Below]

New Path Productivity LLC · New Path Perspective Blog: Slowing The Passage Of Time

Have you experienced a moment so perfect it's fixed in your memory? I recently found myself absorbed in just such a moment.

​As my weekday morning routine concluded, I was in the process of making myself breakfast when my husband emerged from the bedroom earlier than usual.
 
We are fortunate to have a lovely little park nearby that he often visits in the morning after my workday has started. Because he was up earlier than usual, he asked if I wanted to go with him. I had plenty of time before I needed to start working, so I readily accepted.
 
After packaging my breakfast in a small glass container, we enjoyed the short walk to the park. It was a beautiful 60-degrees Fahrenheit, and the colors of first light were starting to blend and brighten. We arrived at the park and settled onto a west-facing bench.
 
As I enjoyed my breakfast, my senses took in everything around me. I observed the intensifying rays of sunlight on the trees, highlighting the gorgeous auburn, copper, and gold colors of the changing leaves. Squirrels romped from tree to tree as the ground squirrels scurried at the tree line. Sparrows flitted in the tree canopy as the crows, blue jays, and cardinals sang their morning songs.
 
I saw several leaves fall from the branches that held them securely only seconds before. I've always considered it a privilege to witness a leaf drifting down from its tree. In the life of the leaf, that will be the only time it will ever fall, and I was there to see it. That feels significant to me.
 
The park filled my senses. I immersed myself in its beauty, and it was glorious. We leisurely walked home in plenty of time for me to start my workday. The blissful feeling carried through my entire day.
 
As we get older, I've heard that time feels like it passes more quickly because we have fewer and fewer new experiences. That early-morning trip to the park felt much longer than the passage of time on the clock would indicate. Perhaps the departure from my morning routine is what I needed that morning.
 
What variation in routine can you make today? Can you take a moment to slow down and mindfully observe the nuances of your surroundings? I wish you the same contentment I experienced in the park that morning. Everyone deserves that moment of perfection to carry with them.