The signs of time…

Time has its own quirky ways (sometimes sudden, sometimes witty) of reminding us of its presence and its inevitable passage. Just to catch us off guard, it manifests through unsuspected and unpredictable signs. Yes, you heard that right: “signs”... and I’m not talking about the “signs of ageing” (no wrinkles!) but those moments that strike us out of the blue when we’re distracted, making us aware of how sometimes our internal “timezone” is misaligned with the world’s.

For instance, the other day, I realised it’s summer only because I saw a swarm of kids heading to summer camp… I always live “out of season” chasing the rhythm of fashion and Collections that need to be showcased in advance (so winter models in July and spring ones in January 😅!).

With a hint of melancholy, I wondered how many things we all miss due to the rush, frenzy, foresight (avant-garde?) and how many moments we fail to share with others because of the excessive distractions from the here and now. We’re always chasing what’s yet to come and meanwhile, we don’t realise that kids grow up, parents age, situations change, and even we change. So, we wake up one morning and suddenly find adults staring back at us in the mirror—strangers we reluctantly have to make presentable in the morning and bid goodnight to in the evening. Knowing we’ll see them again the next day and the day after.

The most fascinating aspect of all this is discovering that each person perceives life at their own “pace” (the natural rhythm of hunger and sleep as babies, the boring pace of school as children, the frantic rhythm of work and family projects as young adults, the calm and expanded pace of memories as elders) and we each walk at our own pace.

Yet, we can all meet. We just need to understand how far we’re willing to walk and how much we’re willing to speed up or slow down to stay alongside those who can share the journey with us and enrich our (inner) landscape.

Let’s not miss this precious opportunity – let’s live time and share it!