Time

I bought a quiet clock to replace the ticking one in the clinic. Its ticking reminded us that time passes, and that time is borrowed. And if the clock doesn't tick, does time still pass? Of course it does.

In days like these of uncertainty, you can always rely on the fact that this moment will pass. The anxiety that surfaces and asks — will another moment come in its place? This is a fundamental, human existential anxiety. In those moments, in the 'now,' the moment was here just a moment ago, and you can take comfort in it and also see that once again it has passed. Observing this moment allows a breath — as you surely felt just now reading the previous sentence.

Three guiding intentions that help me reach you: 1. Look around — and in doing so, slow down thoughts and breathing. 2. Observe the anxiety like a wave — this too is a mindful observation. Examine what's happening in the body. Where am I on the wave? At the beginning? At its peak? Heading down? After, and perhaps toward the next wave? This will invite an observation that is also calming. 3. The known within the unknown — it's truly scary when everything seems unknown. Alongside the unknown, there are also known parts you can lean on within the uncertainty. For example, that time will pass. That gravity works. That there is someone in the world who loves you.

May we be blessed with a full and whole breath!

* I bought the clock with the quiet mechanism for the benefit of clients with ADHD and/or sensory sensitivity, who were disturbed by the ticking of the previous clock. Even those treated online could hear the old clock's ticking.