Musical Inspiration: “Days to Come” by Seven Lions, which is a few years old but has been on repeat recently. Solid, slightly dubsteppy beat with gorgeous vocals. Could you ask for anything more?
This post coming to you from: Brisbane, Australia
For as long as I can remember I have been told that I run on “Donovan time” or in more recent years, specifically “Caiti time.” Those who know me best (annoyed boyfriends especially) developed a strategy of building in a buffer time of about 15+ minutes. So for example, if the reservation is for 7:30pm, I am lied to told that the reservation is for 7pm…and we usually arrive at about 7:20. Ta da!
Over the years, I got better (I did!). But the only place I was consistently on time (early even) was in my business life, because it was always drilled into me how disrespectful it is to be late in a business setting. This is something that holds true in a personal setting as well, but I always, if maybe only subconsciously at points, felt a desire to escape such stringent time keeping when I was out of the office environment, and usually found that others were happy to join me in this practice. We all wanted to get away from that dreaded Outlook Calendar constantly throwing up reminders of the incessant meetings that were starting in five minutes. So many meetings. So many hours spent once again watching a clock wondering if maybe it would be done early so I could “gain back” some time in my day. So much time wishing I could actually go DO rather than just talk about what was to be done or had been done already. I mean honestly, how many times in your business life (hell, sometimes your personal life) have you been preached to about Time Management? There are full courses on the subject!
We are slaves to time, and we are bombarded everyday with the notion that we should fear losing time – that our time here is limited and therefore we must fear “the end.” We are instructed to believe that “time is money.” We even apply increasingly ridiculous pressures on those we love because we have been told we must be married, pregnant and otherwise “settled” by a certain age.
It is sick, and it is making us a collectively unhappy, worry-filled, anxiety-ridden society. We stress more today than we ever have, and in turn, pump our bodies full of prescriptions, alcohol and “natural” stress relievers. All in an effort to relax. We plan incessantly, using science and studies to discover ways to prolong life, prolong our enjoyment in this world when the real answer to prolonged happiness and enjoyment of life has always been right there inside us.
One of the most beautiful things I have discovered through letting go and giving into a life of trusting the Universe – time does not have to exist. Sure, you have to be on time for your flight, train, bus or various other transport, but once you get to where you are going, you can let go of time. Seriously. Because I am here to tell you right now, all that time keeping; all those efforts to be on time, manage time, be more efficient with your time; all those times you managed to show up early, it is all a massive waste of exactly what you are trying to keep, exactly what we as humans fear losing the most – time.
Time keeping is a form of control. It allows us to control ourselves – when and how long we sleep, when we eat, when we are meant to enjoy the company of others or when we are meant to procreate. It allows us to control others – when employees should be producing work, when a group should gather together (be it for work or play), when we will have “free time” because the kids are at school/camp/a friend’s house or how late your Tinder date is (and if it is “worth it” to stick around for him/her). And this control, this desire to constrain things and people to a certain schedule is something that we as humans are solely guilty of doing, and solely threatened by when it does not exist.
“Try to imagine a life without timekeeping. You probably can’t. You know the month, the year, the day of the week. There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored. Birds are not late. A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays. Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.” – Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper
So here is the challenge to you:
Sleep when you feel tired – even if it is two in the afternoon. Eat when you feel hungry – even if it is two in the morning. Explore when you feel like having an adventure – even if you think everything is going to be closed. Allow falling in love and bringing life into this world to just happen in its own time, or God-forbid, even by accident. Let go of time, and see what you are granted the opportunity to see, feel, encounter, and discover.
The (human) world surrounding you will still inevitably be running on a clock, slaves to a schedule, so there will still be times when you will need to adhere to that way of life. Be respectful of the fact that others are not following your same path, but don’t let it suck you back in as you temporarily walk with them. And when you are able again, return to an existence of forgetting that a certain number of hours after the sun sets, so should you. If you are still enjoying your evening, if your body is still up for the exploration of new things and experiences, then allow yourself the privilege to do that. And that goes for a 24-year-old as much as it does a 65-year-old.
The goal here is to connect with yourself and with your soul; to listen to the Universe, to your body, to nature; to feel all of the forces that exist around you in their natural states, and to have an opportunity to respond to them.
For those not traveling indefinitely, this is a challenge to you too. I do appreciate that your “normal” responsibilities will constrain you more, and that your daily life exists with the burden of time permeating every facet of what you do. I do believe, though, that this can work for you too if you really give it a try.
Start small – on a day when you don’t have to work (or for the indefinite traveler, on a day when you don’t have to travel or have a time constrained/scheduled activity – i.e. scuba diving, where it is very important you keep time, lest you kill yourself…cheese!). This will help to not interfere with the obvious schedules that exist in those environments.
Do not set an alarm. Wake up when you do, and get out of bed when you feel like your body and mind are ready to start the day. Try to avoid checking the time on your phone/bedside clock/wall clock.
Eat. But don’t call it ‘breakfast’ or even ‘brunch.’ Allow yourself to chose the ingredients of your meal not based on the time of day but based on what will keep you healthy and nourished, preparing and energizing you for what lies ahead.
Shower. Don’t be wasteful with the water, but also allow yourself however long you need to feel clean and fully awakened. (Some may choose to do this before eating, which is clearly a personal choice. My inner fat child screams at me pretty quickly after waking up so I usually go for food then shower. Listen to your body and make your own decision.)
Don’t watch TV. Programming runs on a time schedule and will keep you, even if only subconsciously, aware of passing time.
Don’t schedule a time to meet someone. If you want to see someone, send them a message and see if they are available to meet. Live in the present. If they say, “No but I could meet you in an hour,” just ask them to message you when they are available and you can see where you are in your day at that point. 
Try to avoid activities which require you be on a certain time schedule – seeing a movie, taking a guided tour, etc. – but instead explore things which reconnect you with nature or that you happen to come across as you are walking through a given area. Go for a bike ride or for a run. See where your legs can take you until you feel tired. If you pass a place that you want to visit, do so. I’ve come across some of the most interesting churches, museums, and events not by planning to go to them but by simply coming across them and deciding to join in the fun. Get lost! Give yourself the opportunity to just explore and lose track of time.
Try mastering this for one day, one 24 hour period of time. See how you feel, what you discover, what you learn. The first couple of times, you will be anxious. This is normal. We have it drilled into us everyday that we must keep time, that we must watch a clock. So when we make a choice to ignore a way of life that we have literally had engrained in us all since birth, well, letting go of that isn’t going to be something that comes easily. Allow yourself the time to adjust and to experience what the difference feels like. And especially when you have the chance to do this for longer periods of time (i.e. vacations, holidays, uninterrupted periods of travel, etc.), use those to your advantage! Those are opportunities to really allow yourself to escape time. Lose track of the days. Let the rising and falling sun be the only thing that reminds you that another day has existed, and even then, only allow the sun to be a demonstration of beauty (and let’s be honest, a reason to snap a quick picture), not a dictation of what you should be doing as a result of it coming or going.
Mastered the 24 hour challenge? Then go bigger!
Challenge yourself to let go of judgment – both given and received. Accept that not everyone will let go of the time constraints that exist around them. It takes a lot of strength to rise above societal pressures, especially those which have existed for many decades or even centuries. You will likely be faced with people who do not understand or accept your choice to possibly sleep in the middle of the day or who tell you that it’s unhealthy to be eating past 8pm. You will definitely meet those who will question why at 35 you haven’t gotten married or had kids. You want to leave your career at 28/38/48 to go work in a beach bar? Are you crazy?! Nope, just pursuing what makes you happy. Release yourself from others’ judgment of you and make all possible attempts to let go of your own judgments of them. Everyone has their own path, and all you are tasked with monitoring is your own.
If you take this challenge, please share it! Leave a comment below with your stories and adventures…
And as always, Happy Falling!
Cosmic Trust Fall 
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