Time Relativity: CSA Week #13 – 9/4/19

 In CSA Newsletter

This morning was back to school morning for us just as it was for many of you. As we were taking our morning dog walk in the fields, my eldest asked me how it could be that summer just seemed to go so much faster this year.

I responded by saying that as we age, time just seems to move more quickly.

“But why?” she asked.

I gave her the two theories that make most sense to me. First theory:  As we get older we generally have more responsibilities, so our minds and bodies experience time differently when we have more to do. (Though, my mother – who’s recently retired – was very disappointed to discover that for her time has not slowed down any since she stopped working.)

My second theory is that as we accumulate more years of experience, any given year seems shorter. In other words, our experience of time and its passing is relative. For our youngest daughter, Juna, who’s 4, one year is a quarter of her life! For me, well it’s a fortieth.

Zea thought about these two ideas and said they “kinda make sense.” Then she moved on with other chatter about her new teacher, seeing her friends, what might be different this year, her nerves about homework in fourth grade, etc.

While I didn’t intend to focus on the concept of time relativity today, I found my mind there very pointedly as I found myself doing a farm task I don’t particularly enjoy. I was stuck on Barrel Washer Time.

It’s funny, usually my days fly by. My mind is always racing, even while I’m doing something manually repetitive. My consciousness is a stream of harvest numbers, weighing of task priorities, managing people, delivery deadlines, vehicle logistics, and weather forecasts. My days go by quickly.

So when time slows down a bit, I notice.

If I’m with my children when time slows down, I generally try to sit back and be grateful for that slow down. With my eldest nearing 10, I’m keenly aware how quickly my time with them is going.

When time slowed down today at work, I was surprised. It’s not a normal experience. So I spent my slow time behind the barrel washer thinking about time.

It’s fascinating, really, how time can stretch and scrunch the way that it does.  I also think it’s crazy how the way time is experienced can be so different from person to person.

Turns out Barrel Washer Time is quick time for one of my crew members, Ryan, while it’s slow time for me. Meanwhile, Brusher Washer time is fast time for me. For Ryan, it’s super sllooowww time.

It’s like that expression, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’  Turns out, time is like that too.

Speaking of time relativity, I can’t believe it’s September and week #13 already!
Happy cooking, happy eating!
Farmer Cassie