All this
apparently
began when
matter and light
decoupled. What
were they
arguing about, I
wonder? The future? It’s
always the future
isn’t it?
An excerpt from David Hinton’s essay/poem on time in Emergence Magazine volume V: Time

“The yü ideogram portrays breath spreading beneath a roof…Similarly, the chou ideogram depicts a seed sprouting beneath the same dragon-spine wing-curve roof.” David Hinton
It has been such a magnificent year. Truly.
Magnificent.
This word first came tapping on my window way back in April 2023… and it was persistent as 2023 continued and I was eager to begin my time-focused journey in January.
I spent time… studying time… in all the ways one could think about time. I read books to expand my own time limitations. Two of my favorites… On Time and Water by Andri Snær Magnason and the latest Emergence Magazine volume on Time (I use the term magazine loosely… this volume was an actual book!) These two books changed so many things for me… they invited me to think differently… so differently about something as simple as time. (Which I discovered is about the deepest well that exists!)
I spent more time with Rilke, as his wisdom about the interconnectedness of time is as relevant today as it was when he wrote it.
I contemplated, again, Saving Time by Jenny Odell… and actively looked for (and found!!) those coveted pockets of vertical time.
I contemplated deep time, kronos and kairos time. I kept track of lunar time… and loved going outside to watch the moonrise. I experienced one incredible phenomenon… sunset and moonrise at the same time while we were in Erie last fall. I thought about time standing still… as it does when one mourns the loss of a beloved pet. I thought about how time flies… especially this month, when the days just seem to race past.
And still…time was my focus as I contemplated the concept of yü chou… that in the house of time, there is space to breathe and space to pick up the next seed of time… it feels to me like a perfect circle and I realize that the English language is lacking in its ability to have a word that so perfectly explains what I spent a year contemplating but perhaps yü chou is the most fitting to encompass all I have learned… that time continues, so take a deep breath and carry on.
And race by the days did because here I am at the end of December … very much feeling that I really don’t want to stop my study of time. But as you can see from my header photo… the sands have passed through the hour glass… I am “out of time,” as it were! It feels good to add time to my previous words and carry them with me as I walk into the New Year… taking a deep breath and picking up the next seed of time to continue on the journey.
In closing, I want to thank Carolyn for holding space for us One Little Worder’s the past few years. She has helped me find the pathway to joy in the journey with a word to help me focus. I am a better at OLW because of her. Thank you, thank you, Carolyn! Make sure you stop by and see how everyone else ended their year!
Next year, I will be holding the space for us to share our journeys… and I hope you will join us! I will have more details about all of this beginning next week. I will be sharing my new word and hopefully I will also have some inspiration during the month with the hopes that you might join us!
It always surprises me when I learn how deficient the English language is in words to describe certain things, and I guess time is one of them. Maybe that’s why I have trouble with it. I’ve enjoyed your inside, outside, and all ways exploration of time and you have certainly benefited. I’m looking forward to your next word!
Like Bonny, I have enjoyed your exploration of “time” – inside, outside, upside down and around about. I really like the concept of yü chou – thank you for sharing that. Happy New Year!!
To this reader, it seems like Time has been one of your ‘fullest’ words since I’ve been reading your blog! So much to take with you into next year — and the next.
I’m grateful to you for hosting next year. I look forward to your upcoming posts and to walking through the One Word year together, again.
I think perhaps it seemed fullest because I could share all I learned about time. Previous words had lots of personal grunt work…behind the scenes work, as it were and while they might have felt less full for the reader, they were profoundly full for me… learning and growing is just the best, isn’t it!
Time was an entirely different word for me and I loved, loved, loved learning everything I did about time!
This really was such a great word for you, and I feel like I learned a lot, too, through your exploration of it. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you next year!
Time is a rich word with many avenues for exploration. Your posts about your OLW have been so thoughtful. I have added the Odell book to my reading list.
Of all the posts you have shared about Time, I think this one is my favorite. You took an elusive concept and turned it into something very Real and very Important. XOXO
What a great word TIME has been for you, Kat! Although I’ll not be choosing a word for myself in a formal way this year, I’m keen to keep up with the rest of you as you explore your words. So nicely done, Kat. XO