I still struggle with it. Never thinking there is enough. At the same time, if we take on too much - there may not be enough. I’ve taken time away from my humble posts to this blog from once weekly to monthly—for a while. Entering graduate school has shifted my perspective on time and what is manageable and what is not. It’s like a freight train, and so far I am still able to look up every once in a while and be in the beautiful scenery of my life along the way. This thing called time, they say it’s a myth and that it’s a concept that man (well, woman) create. I don’t agree. I really do think there is not enough of it. Sadly. I want more. I once read an amazing book about the concept of time by Stephan Rechtschaffen, the founder of Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. Stephan has been working in the field of inner growth and spirituality for decades as a leader in the holistic educational field and has influenced society at large with his understanding of the emerging trends in cultural shifts occurring in societal awareness in alternative health, education, environment and community practices. Currently he serves as a Special Adviser to Omega’s Board, and lives and works full-time at a retreat center he founded called Blue Spirit (the Omega Institute of Costa Rica). Stephan is a nationally recognized holistic physician who lectures on health, wellness, nutrition, longevity and time. He wrote “Time Shifting,” a book that focuses on one’s relationship to time and stress amidst the quickening pace of modern life. These interests have drawn him to living and working in the more mindful and slower paced environment of Blue Spirit in Costa Rica. He humbly speaks to his struggles with time and being in the moment as the book reads as a beautiful memoir of his life. It’s intensely private and social at the same time, Rechtschaffen advocates a refocusing of our attention on the present. Describing the rushed and future-focused schedules characteristic of modern life as a condition of “time poverty,” he suggests that active time awareness (“not time management”) offers a path into a richer experience of daily life. From a philosophical position that owes much to Buddhism, the author offers concrete steps to taking back the power we have given to clocks and calendars. “Time shifting” requires two steps: becoming aware of the present and practicing “entrainment”-tuning in to the rhythm and flow of the moment. Rechtschaffen cites ritual as a powerful means of shifting rhythm, and suggests ways to incorporate time-shifting rituals into everyday existence. Nuggets of wisdom and of practical advice add such texture to this book. I know for me—when I remember this and refresh my mind on his concepts, suddenly my day feels more open and my feet feel more planted in the moment. My days feel longer and more luxurious.
