June 5th, 2015: Traveling through Time

     Everyone has probably experienced the phenomenon of time distortion. For instance, my shift at my job is broken up into four two-hour blocks separated by breaks or lunchtime. In the morning, the first block tends to move pretty fast, and we find ourselves at first break before we even realize the time has passed. The second block drags a little more, especially if one is hungry; it seems like lunch takes much longer than two hours to get there. After lunch, we're full and sleepy, so the clock seems to stand still during the third block of time, and oh my goodness, that final two hours of the day absolutely seems endless.
     Calendar days are the same. If you have an event that is in the near future, and you are really looking forward to the experience, each intervening day seems to equal to three regular days, and the calendar is ticked off ever so slowly. Then when the event finally arrives, we are off like a shot, diving into the itinerary and relishing each and every moment. However, we find our calendar reversing itself and burning up like it is the end of the world and we stand there looking at the end of our precious time as if it was just skipped over.
     I once read that hypnotists claim that they can control the perception of time and enable us to slow down those enjoyable events and mentally rush us through the more unpleasant aspects of life. I don't know if this is true or not, but wouldn't it be great if we had the ability to push a button and find that our dreaded root canal was already over, or flip the switch to the other side to enable us to relish that once in a lifetime meal, or the time spent on that beautiful scenic beach? It almost seems like a super-power that would be the envy of people everywhere.
     Truthfully, time serves to remind us occasionally that it is always short and we should count it as far too fleeting to be taken for granted. Cherish each and every moment, because by the time we have noticed it, it has already passed.....