I didn’t finish this book by Jenny Odell, but I read enough to come across this arresting, beautifully conveyed idea about how we experience time. The first example that comes to my mind is how long the next three and half years are going to feel to many of us who are disgusted with the current political environment in this country. Other examples include:

  • Scrolling online, when 10 minutes can quickly turn into a 45 minutes or more, in a blink;
  • Parenting young children, when the days (and nights!) can sometimes stretch on for what feels like forever, but the years pass by at lightning speed;
  • Waiting for test results or a scheduler to call for a needed appointment, leading to the sense that days have become weeks;
  • Commuting, when the 30 minute drive feels ten times longer than the same 30 minutes at home engaged in your favorite activity;
  • Vacations, when the the weeks and days leading up to it crawl by, but the vacation itself seems like it is passing by at double time;

More evidence that Buddhist teachings on Emptiness ring true.