It's About Time

Did you catch Monday's Fresh Air? Terry Gross interviewed Professor Brian Greene. He's the leading expert in string theory and recently published a book on parallel universes. She asked him what he hoped to learn in his lifetime. His answer:

"What really is time? What is the nature of time? I mean, we all think about time. We all live within time, but we are still struggling to figure out what time actually is."

Professor Greene, I certainly hope you find the time to answer that question. I'd love to know what time really is. Although I don't wear a watch, I don't have an alarm clock, and I generally avoid looking at the clock throughout the day, my life revolves around time.

Is it time to wake up? Has it been four minutes since I heard George pour boiling water into the French press?

Avery! It's time to let the chickens out.

Isn't it about time Aidan woke up?

What time does the library open?

Is it time for lunch?

Mom, can I use my computer time?

How much time will it take me to make dinner and when should I start?

What time will George get home from work?

Kids! Go brush your teeth - it's time for bed!

Time. Time. Time. Time. I even sing about it. When going out to get thyme from the garden, I can't help but sing, "Time won't give me time....". Every time I open the refrigerator and see bottles of condiments, I sing, "If I could save time in a bottle. . .", which of course leads to the next line, "But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them".

Time is on my side, though. I seem to have plenty of time to do the things I want to do, (though not always enough time to do the things I'm supposed to do). I don't have to punch a time card, and, with the exception of my children, nobody really keeps track of how I spend my time. I'm fortunate to be married to someone who, like me, values time over money. When I talked to George last night about whether or not I should make more heart garlands for my Etsy store, he asked, "Is it worth your time?" I'm still thinking about my answer.

I'm uncomfortable with the speed at which time travels online. Information is instant, and when making inquiries or conducting transactions online, we all seem to expect immediate replies. The scene at the end of Social Network when Jesse Eisenberg repeatedly refreshes his Facebook page, waiting for his friend request to be reciprocated, loops in my mind. (For a funny technology loop scenario, check out this video.) How many times have I clicked the refresh button . . . just today? Isn't doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results the very definition of insanity?

I much prefer the pace of snail mail. I can wait days and days for replies. I only need to check the mailbox one time a day. That is my speed. I'm a slow record, belting out the same old songs over and over again, time after time.

Thanks for your time. Peace out.

P.S. Intense Debate didn't work out so well after all. After all but two of your comments got lost in cyberspace (or maybe in one of Prof. Greene's parallel universes), I uninstalled it. So we're back to Blogger comments, old school style.