This comment, “time is suspicious”,  was made by a 9 year old boy who came into my classroom one day. He had just learned the word “suspicious” in his regular classroom, and apparently tied it in with how “odd”  time can be.

After he said that,  I thought a long time about that idea…the “subjective” experiencing of the passing of time really is a bit “suspicious”..sometimes  incredibly slow (usually when I’m not happy), other times somewhat slow….sometimes incredibly  fast (often when I’m really happy),other times somewhat fast…kind of bizarre really….very suspicious !

I actually thought about that idea for weeks…and now am developing a  much broader understanding of the tremendous variations in the “perceived” speed of time passing…as opposed to the measurable, linear aspects of time:  60 seconds=one minute. 60 minutes= one hour. 24 hours= one day. 7 days= one week. 52 weeks= one year.

And “age”???... how old I am in actual number of years…compared to how I “feel” ???…It varies sooooo much…sometimes I feel like I’m 22 years old, sometimes a bit older, sometimes like a 2 year old…and once in awhile, many decades more….very, very  suspicious, and maybe a waste of time to even try to define?…yes, I think maybe so…(btw, in “actual” years, I’m many decades older than 22  …. : )  ….many, many, many, many= 4 many’s…  : )   )

That  linear measurement  is needed for logistics of daily life, but time certainly has a very different subjective aspect to it, too…

and I’ve come to realize that  time really can be… “suspicious”

Another variation on how people look at time in reference to  their own lives: The Time Paradox by Philip Zimbardo.  Dr. Zimbardo has a very interesting online survey that helps people get perspective on how they view the past, present and future and how that impacts their own everyday life. It’s a very interesting survey…I recommend giving it a try. Explanation of survey, with comparison scores

Dr. Zimbardo also has  a remarkable list of links to a variety of sites about “time”

Cold Play  “til kingdom come…say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me”