The Persistence of Memory?

Time. What does it mean to you? The passing of one minute to the next. One day. A year. A century. A millennium? Is is even possible to think about that? Or do you think of time as being in the workplace. At school. Monday to Friday. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekends. Holidays. Time off – the weekend. When I was teaching my life seemed to be split into term-times. Breaks when I could have a life. If I wasn’t ill, or had a hundred reports to write or coursework to mark. No, let’s not dwell on that time.

time-2

Is time a constraint? Or freedom? Do you take the time to stand and stare? To absorb the beauty that is around you? Or do you rush through life hating to waste time.

Time to sleep. Time to dream. Time to contemplate. Time to have fun. Times of drought. Doing ‘time’. A season. An era. The beat of music. And yes, time does go faster as you grow older.

Can time be timeless? Are you having a good time, the time of your life?

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

37 thoughts on “The Persistence of Memory?”

  1. As teachers, our lives are divided into terms, but yours are much shorter than ours. This year we have four terms of 9, 11, 10 and 10 weeks. Lucky I love my job because it takes up a lot of my time.

        1. There was a suggestion once here that the year was split into 4 semesters as they do in universities, with more equal holidays, but nothing came of it. I could not have survived the terms here without that half-term break. Especially the autumn term as that is gruelling.

        2. Usually our terms are ten weeks so nine weeks this term is a real luxury. I don’t know how you would ever get anything finished with such short terms. I guess it’s what we are all used to.

        3. Well we only have three terms, so in themselves they are long, the breaks are just a breather and often teachers work through them anyway, just at home without the students! As you say, it’s what you are used to. I’m afraid I never got used to that 14 week autumn term even with the short break.

  2. I think we all live to multiple schedules and timetables, each based on a different length of time. The work timetable, the school timetable, the biological clock. The list goes on. Kind of surreal, isn’t it? 🙂

    1. A great topic LD. Interesting how much ‘time’ is a part of our lives. So many different ways to interpret this, but I stuck to the obvious because I really like these photos! Thank you for making me think about time 🙂

    1. Yes, when you stop to consider the word time it is amazing how often we use it to describe our lives. And how short our time actually is.

  4. I like the clocks in the photos, reminiscent of Dali, of course.
    After spending 33 years working shifts, always worrying about what time I had to be at work, being retired came as something of a shock. Time no longer has any importance for me. I get up when I want, go to bed when I feel like it. Yet it passes more quickly than it ever did when I was working, which is perhaps more related to age, than idleness.
    Regards as always, Pete. x

    1. As is the title (Dali) – love the melting clocks too 🙂 I wonder whether time would appear to pass so quickly if I was still in employment? Then I had periods where I wished my life away. Now I am completely happy not to have a routine, but concerned that I might run out of time before I do things I’d like to achieve. I think age makes us more aware of the world and the universe and how little time we all actually have. Thanks Pete.

  5. I see time as a measurement of something…but always variable and circumstantial. I expect in our early years we give it little importance except in dealing with things such as time to eat. Soon time is influenced by parents and school….and schedules. Spattered throughout are the different times, the marked memory points of important moments such as the time I was in love or broke my arm. In these situations, time is a significance in our life.

    If you are lucky, you can see how you can change time and create your own universe, or you could be unlucky or unobservant and live a life as a slave to time. I have been both and finally wised up, breaking the chains of “someone else’s” time demands upon my life.

    Yes, time does go faster now, but it is more fluid and variable and creative…it’s opportunity and choice to do or not do. Oh, I still have schedules but I have learned to balance them out with “free time” or my time….time to play!

    Nice, thought provoking post!

    1. Ah, well you can thank the wood dragon for this post as he set the topic of Time as the Weekly Photo Challenge. It is a most thought-provoking topic and I thank you for your observations of time 🙂 One of the pluses of being ‘more mature’ is that we can reflect on our time spent. My daughter says even her children observe time going fast – perhaps that is a consequence of this information age we find ourselves in?

      1. I’m looking forwards to reading more of the comments on this post.

  6. I love those clocks, and your post is thought-provoking. We don’t often consciously think about time for its own sake. I often think of time as schedules and timing of semesters and holidays, especially when I’m teaching, as you did during your career. When I’m not teaching, then I think of time in regards to all the things I’d like to be doing with my time in case I have to go back to teaching in the fall. I always see that impending teaching schedule looming ahead (shows how much I dislike my job!). What can I squeeze in during the free time I have now? Sometimes I want to just stop and stare and absorb. Other times I feel like time is passing me by and I better get busy and be more organized and use it more wisely! We all have so many demands on our time these days. If I had all the money in the world, I would just spend my days wandering around the world, taking pictures, stopping at sidewalk cafes, and just experiencing whatever surprises life cares to toss my way. Travel, but more, just being, in a strange and exhilarating new place. 🙂

  7. In answer to your question, I am having a good time. One of the things that seems to come with age, is the acknowledgement of how quickly times passes, reminding us that time is precious. Whether it is sitting idle, spending time with family & friends, or embarking on some wonderful adventure, I try to make the most of my time. Loved this post!

  8. I avoid thinking about time because it has this habit of racing past. I’ve been retired nearly a decade and wonder where the time has gone. And yes, I believe I’m having the time of my life.

    Love the post and the images are stunning. Perfect for today. ❤ 🙂

  9. Great post Jude. I could do with some more time, some time just for me, but at my back I always hear time’s winged chariot hurrying near. Never enough time, especially as we get older and it becomes even more precious.

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