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Deceleration of Time


Time. We claim we do not have enough time for the things we enjoy, people we love, or to build healthy habits. Mostly, time seems to rage on without consulting human agendas or preferences. Honeymoons and vacations are the most slippery in the hands of time while youth is the most devastated casualty.

One sure way to slow the tempo of life is to undergo a transition. Suddenly the hasty pace of all things relaxes to an offensive crawl or slither. 

My office has been going through a refresh. Wonderful news, except for the fact that all of my belongs had to be temporarily relocated to my home living room. The moment the items settled into their accommodation; time halted. While disruptive this truly is a First World problem and the momentary inconvenience does allow for a welcome change. Nonetheless, business has not been usual.

I was working from home when the "snail mail" arrived. While running outside to fetch it, I came across a tiny real snail gliding across my driveway. Amazed, I decided to capture the moment. When focusing my camera, I was surprised by the beauty I saw. The snail itself was adorable but even my cracked driveway looked different. Up close the concrete appeared as marbly sand. 

Like turtles, snails can retract into their shells. In a sense, that is what transition can feel like. Unlike turtles, snails have a coiled shell that has a similar shape as the cochlea, part of the human inner ear involved in hearing. 

Ah...the message of the day. There is beauty in the transition and a change of perspective can yield the gifts of inner reflection and focused hearing. 

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