Lisa Thorpe

When Time Bends

The summer has whooshed by, my son starts his senior year of High school on Thursday I start teaching art at the elementary school next Tuesday.  At the beginning of summer there are so many plans, so many events, a list is made of hopes and desires, friends to meet, garden beds to plant, vacations to experience, books to read, camp to run.  The list is almost always unfeasible – so many things so little time.  The days unwind like a dropped spool of thread, rolling away unwinding at my feet, some expectations met and others let go, replaced by things I didn’t know I wanted to do.  My last week of summer was spent at our house in the redwoods outside of Cazadero.  This is a magical place; the house is surrounded by circles of sister trees that sprouted round the stump of their mother redwood a century ago.  Sitting on the deck watching the gentle swaying of the trees is enough.  We are always astounded by how long the days are and how little we have done and how pleased we are with our lack of productivity.  We say when we are there that time bends. No cell service, no internet, pajamas till noon are not a problem, eating dinner at nine o’clock who cares… time slows and meanders nothing to think about except the next meal and even that is a pleasure when following hunger pangs not clocks.  It has come to my attention that I need these days of nothingness and everythingness, days when nothing is expected and everything is possible.  Don’t get me wrong I love a trip that takes me from art museum in the morning to lovely neighborhood for lunch then a play in the evening. Walking city streets, taking in the sites is great, but time blows you along like a wind at your back urging you to see and do more to gobble up your time in this new place.  I often find myself exhausted after a vacation.  But at our time bending home I come back and am unsure of how long I’ve been gone, a day, a week, a month?  It doesn’t matter time has gently bent the days into each other, one relaxing embrace.

Yesterday I got my son Ivan registered at school, and inventoried supplies in my classroom, made lists, answered emails, and missed an appointment. Time has accelerated again and I must keep up with the industrious Fall wind blowing me forward. And so it goes but I am more ready for the pace, the race with my reset clock, time bending has given me a peaceful core from which to reemerge, and resurface into real time. The clock is ticking the bells are ringing I must go, I hope you have found some where to let time bend this summer.