Funny How Time Disappears

There's an old country song, "Funny How Time Slips Away," written by Willie Nelson for Elvis Presley and recorded by Willie, Elvis, and other singers too.

Originally, the song was a lament about losing someone you loved to another and hearing the lost lover tell a new person the same thing you were told—that he/she would "love you forever."

The viewpoint character muses over how time changes some things but that, sometimes, the deep emotion and sense of loss remains.

The lyrics are so true and applicable to so many aspects of life. That struck me today when I was lamenting that we are in the 4th month of this year, and I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I thought I would.

The Rolling Stones may have sung that "time is on our side," but I'm at the age when I must disagree with that idea.

The Theory Simplified

EINSTEIN'S THEORY OF TIME VS. MINE

I'm not a physicist, but I think Einstein left something out of his Theory of Relativity that revolutionized the understanding of time. Yes, it's definitely not absolute. 

According to Einstein, time is relative to the observer's frame of referenced—yes, I concur—and gravitational field. Well, I don't know much about the gravitational field to which he refers.

I do know that time is definitely relative to my frame of reference. See if you agree with my Theory. 

When going through hard times of grief and loss, time seems to freeze. You're stuck in that emotional mine field, seemingly forever.

Then there are the times of great joy, happiness, and excitement. Those moments seem to pass quickly and slip away before we notice that they're now in our past.

TIME DILATION FIELD

Other examples of time and one's frame of reference that make you think you're frozen in a time dialtion field:

* standing in line at the DMV or post office

* waiting in a doctor's office for your name to be called

* waiting in a hospital ER for news of your loved one who's being treated

* working on a project for so long you feel as if it will never end

* waiting for your kid to come home after he or she drives to a nighttime event, alone, for the first time.

Bad times don't last forever—it just seems as if they do.

Good times feel fleeting, but as long as there's life, good times will come again.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I guess all I'm trying to say today on this Palm Sunday is to be aware of the truly important people in your life and make the moments with them memorable in a good way because it really is not funny how time slips away.

In case you want to learn more about the REAL Theory of Relativity, John Stoddard published an excellent book on the subject, in plain easily-understood English, and it's available in paperback and hardback from Amazon.

The book has a LONG title which I've shortened: Relativity For Beginners, The Special And The General Theory

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