Time in a Bottle

Every second has its own intersection of time and space. At that very moment, a unique occurrence happens. While a given space may stay the same over time, time itself changes its appearance. Perhaps there are very good reasons why when we try to recapture the past, it doesn’t always look the same, or go according to plan.

If each moment is unique then the destination of that occurrence has to have its own locale. Recently a friend of mine returned to her 20th High School Reunion, at the same school that she graduated from. She was amazed to roam through the classrooms, see the gym and the principals office, which all looked the same, as if it was just yesterday. One important change was that everyone was twenty years older. Same space, different time. Now once in a while some things can stay the same, but overall, life is a wheel that just keeps on turning, moving forward. Many of us reach for the memories, while forgetting that the time has changed.

Each day that we live we create a series of intercepting moments, making our own private libraries of memories. The other day I had a conversation with someone who said to me, “Jennifer, do you know that today is tomorrow’s yesterday?” Strange, but true. Still, how often do we try to capture Time in a bottle? Does each moment have its own distinctive address? Do we walk through the corridors of time consistently opening and closing doors? To understand our successes and failures, we have to look in the right direction. If all we see is the place but not the time, is it any wonder how easy it is to get lost?

To take a flight to a distant city and arrive safely we have to rely on the experience of the flight crew and the maintenance of the airplane. To take a trip through time we have to be sure that we have the correct coordinates. The terrain of history is awash with pitfalls and plateaus. Time and space, the mixture that weaves through the fabric of the Universe. As long as we live here, we participate in its makeup. We may not be able to put Time in a bottle, but the trick is to not need to.

When you truly appreciate each moment, they’re easier to let go of.