Time feels different to me on the day after a big event. Does it to you?
The event may be one that we view as positive or negative. Either way, it often has an impact on the quality of the time that follows. Have you noticed that, too?
A Poem About the Day After
Emily Dickinson wrote about feelings following great pain in her poem titled simply, “341,”
After great pain, a formal feeling comes-
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs-
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?
There is a disorientation that comes with change, be it a wrenching loss or a joyful transition like a wedding or a birth. The next day, you awaken and your world looks different. Your world is different.
More from Emily Dickinson
Yet what can be most disorienting about the time after a big event is that, while your world is transformed in some way, it also remains substantially the same. As Emily Dickinson goes on to write:
The Feet, mechanical, go round-
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought-
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
Of course, she is writing about grief. But the same is true at the more joyful end of the spectrum. After a much anticipated event has occurred, the tasks of daily living do not disappear. The dishes, the laundry, the bills – these things call out, even as you bring home your newly minted Nobel Prize!
I think of large events in this way: Something has happened that has caused me to pause in the daily round of events. It is almost as if time stops – that’s how it can feel.
Then, after the event, it can feel odd to step back into the flow of time. Is life different? Is it the same? This is when everyday tasks can be grounding and even comforting. I find it very helpful to welcome them, rather than feel a let down when they reappear on my “plate.”
How is it for you?
Where large events can open for us the majesty and mysteries of life, the day after always reveals the immediate next steps for us – the tasks and challenges that we need to explore for ourselves. How we respond to this, each day, shapes our path. It all matters!
How does time feel to you on the day after a big event? Have you noticed that there is a different quality to it? How does this affect you? I’d love to hear!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up and download The New Finding Time Boundary Template. It’s FREE, and when you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) my FREE, weekly Finding Time Tips and my FREE, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
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