Time: Linear and Cyclical

As winter comes to an end, I am reminded that the warm weather will bring so many wonderful, long anticipated gifts; swimming, eating outside, and sun shinning on your way home from work.

I often hear my friends talk about how they can’t believe they are 25 years old. As if time passes and there is no way to slow it down and why haven’t I done everything that everyone else is doing on my news feed and when will THAT happen and why hasn’t THIS happened?!?

Pump the breaks!

It is true that all you have is this moment, but does that mean that things don’t repeat themselves in this life? Could it be equally true that the more things change, the more they stay the same? Things are not black and white, although we often like to see them that way, and by taking multiple perspectives on life you are able to get the full picture.

If I look back on my past 24 years, I see time passing on linear cycles. People are born and die, the sun rises and then sets replaced by the moon and stars, relationships begin and end. In each cycle, similar patterns can be observed at the beginning, the peak, and the end of different situations.

By living our lives understanding that there are things that reoccur but that this moment will only pass once, we can learn lessons from where we are now and apply those in similar, future situations.

For example, for nearly a decade I experienced deep seasonal depression. The days would get shorter and my energy would lower and I would enter full hibernation mode. As the years passed and I picked up on the pattern of cold weather and dark afternoons and their correlation to my mood, I understood the cycle and I learned what worked for me to continue to thrive throughout all seasons of the year.

That is why linear cycles are built into our lives. To allow us to recognize the patterns that keep us static and then grow and adapt to become the best versions of ourselves.