Have you ever wondered about time, asking yourself why we perceive hours and minutes as we do? Have you thought about how time affects us and how might we in turn affect time?

Are there ways to expand our life experience within the limits of time and space?

Can we look at each new moment for its unique footprint, being fully aware of the presence we hold within it, seeing it for what it is?

Is it possible to step from one moment to the next never seeing two moments the same, and be bored, less than excited with its newness?

Another question we might ask is, how “should we” define a unique moment in time? Personally, I do not think a measurement of time matters as much as knowing how to experience each moment as the breath of fresh air it is.

If we sense time passing without honoring it fully, we might say “we have lost track of time” or “that time has forgotten us.” Does this mean we have missed something, given time away or stopped living in these moments? Our hearts will have pumped and our breath continued, but did we fully participate in the act of living?

We can also spend every moment doing something, fill our day with tasks that leave us exhausted. Were these actions any closer to living life fully?

Can we control time or manage our experience by placing ourselves inside the framework we consider “time” to be?

If we look carefully, our experience of time seems connected to our perception of how each moment unfolds.

Knowing as we all do, a moment when “time seems to have stood still.” What is really going on? Are we able to alter time, do our thoughts or actions slow or increase our perception of time?

Have you ever done something and thought, “that is impossible” I just drove 20 miles in 10 minutes! Maybe afterward you noticed how relaxed and intended you were toward achieving the result you just saw happen. I have noticed that we can seemingly affect time if we choose to, and its fun to experiment with this concept.

Next time you are running late or your perception suggests there is not enough time, play with the idea or thought that you have more than enough time and relax with this idea and see what happens. Try it again in a similar situation and notice how stress or the lack of stress along with the thought(s) used, affect your result. Keeping in mind this will be “your” result which others may not see with the same perspective.

In the end, “free will” allows each of us the opportunity to structure our own path as we see fit. To know we have a choice is very important.

To let go and admire “each moment” without needing to change it or understand the totality of what it might or might not be, can offer great insight.

This is where the art of living can become an unstoppable and magnificent treasure. Not looking “at the time” but “through it” to envision a very different life experience.

By Tom Kelly