Thursday, June 04, 2009

Forward in Time


I envision the year as circular, like a clock. The new year begins at the 12 o'clock position.  However, when I think of the progression of months and seasons, things run counter-clockwise. January is at 11 o'clock, February is at 10 o'clock, and so on.  Summer is always at the bottom of the year. Winter is aways the top of the year.

 

On the wall of one of the rooms at church, there is a huge felt banner laying out the church year like a clock.  Each Sunday is a dot around the edge, and there is a big felt arrow, like a minute hand, that can be moved by one of the kids each week to tick away the Sundays and to show the progression towards and through the holy seasons of Advent and Easter. Something about this big calendar bothered me right off the bat, and after many months I finally figured out that it seemed to me to be going backward, since it ran clockwise.

 

I often run into confusion when people talk about "moving something up a day" or "back a day" in a schedule. In my head, schedules form a timeline. Usually, when I'm picturing my involvement in some event, I identify with some spot on the timeline: The day on which I have an appointment, or the day I have off from work, or the hour of the day during which I take my lunch break.  This spot on the timeline is the "me" spot.

 

When something is moving forward, that means it is progressing towards "me."  That means if it is an event that happens after the point on the timeline that I'm interested in, "moving it up" means shifting backward in time, in my direction.  If the event is chronologically before the "me" spot, then "moving it forward" means pushing it to a later time towards "me."  Obviously, this is confusing, since moving something forward in time can mean going backward or forward on the timeline in my head, depending on where I see myself as standing on the timeline.

 

Things are a little different when I think of days of the week.  Usually, days in this context spread out before me like a somewhat abstract, nebulous tunnel, with each day labeled with its name.  I am moving forward through this, so if we're talking about "moving something forward" in this context, it always means pushing it back in time, in the direction that I am headed.  I have to consciously change my thinking about it if I'm discussing it with someone and I realize we're probably thinking of it differently.

 

Weeks have a color, by the way.  They are a light cool gray.

 

6 comments:

  1. I will try to put time, days, or dates around any time related discussion we have from now on. Just your explanation of how you perceive time confused the heck out of me.

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  2. I sort of understand this. Which is, in itself, surprising.
    Weeks are pale blue, though.

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  3. Wow, that is pretty profound stuff. You Tabler guys never cease to amaze me. There is no bottom to your gifts. I bet you get that from the peanut snatching Momma, or is it the metal detective Bad Bob?
    QMM

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  4. Well, let's see. I don't know what time it is or what day of the week it is most of the time. What color is a week? Depends on what pants I wear on Monday.

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  5. Whew.....I'm thoroughly confused. Maybe Erin & Jill can discuss this with you. Not me.

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  6. I really want to have a conversation with you about this. My year runs counter clockwise with January and December sitting at the 6:00 position and summer months at the top. I have a picture for weeks, and decades as well. If I could draw worth a hoot I'd send you a picture to see if any of it matches.

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I'm eager to hear your thoughts!