You would think that I am losing track of time because of the whole brain reaction to the quarantine, all the upheaval and changes, or because we are raising a very active and Corgitude puppy; but truth be known, I have never had a great awareness of time. I use phrases such as;
- “Just the other day,” when it has been apparently months or years ago
- “Yesterday,” when it was actually today
- “A few years ago,” when it could have been yesterday, the other day or months ago!
Maybe I am hot wired to live by a mantra of “Day Whatever.” I know that it is important to be aware of time. I had to be very clear about time, dates, and specifics when testifying in court for a case. In retrospect, that only worked when I had the chart in front of me and I could refer to it. Thankfully, I was a bit anal about keeping my records. To get the date correct on a progress note, I had to check it every morning, put it at the top of the page and then use that same note (deleting and reusing it) throughout the day to avoid changing the date without realizing it. My former clients can tell you how many times I wrote the wrong date and/or time on the appointment card for our next session. They embraced my lack of connection to time, date, and numbers and was able to recognize that my “Date Whatever” issue didn’t detract from our sessions.
I am a people person. I have always struggled with numbers; adding them, remembering them, writing them down correctly (often transposing them,) and balancing my checkbook. Oh the stories my wife could tell you about that last one!
I sometimes wonder if I am crossing over between this realm and somewhere else? Oh, that would probably be another whole post!
Anyway, during this time of quarantine it has seemed less necessary to know what day or time it is. I eat when I’m hungry, go to the store when I am out of something essential, and have my phone reminders to get me on zoom for appointments. That is of course; if I’ve scheduled it right in the first place!
Good thing I am a people person with other gifts. We all have our unique place on this earth. I just know that my place is not in a bank, or as a math teacher!
What are your gifts? How do you show in the world? Are there things in your life that have been challenging for you?