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Podcast TTT Season 4 Time Valerie Peachey Well-being

Season 4 Episode 30: Valerie Peachey on Time and What is Next is Now

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” 

Søren Kierkegaard

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia! 

Thank you for listening in.

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Oxford Languages defines the word “time” as the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.  The idea of travel through space and time.   It can also be described as a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon.

And that is only the beginning, for there are many meanings embedded in this 4-letter word.

I am delighted that Dr. Valerie Peachey has joined me on Tea Toast and Trivia to share her insights on our relationship with time throughout our lives.  Valerie has lived many adventures and continues to add new adventures to her life story.  So put the kettle on and add to this exciting discussion on Tea Toast & Trivia.

A special thank you, Valerie, for sharing your insights on living in the “now,” embracing our personal adventures, welcoming new challenges, pursuing new sources of meaning and ways in which to give back to our communities both local and global. 

Listeners, thank you for joining Valerie and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  We would enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas on time and “what is next is now.”

Until next time, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you.

Valerie Peachey on Time and What is Next is Now – Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

30 replies on “Season 4 Episode 30: Valerie Peachey on Time and What is Next is Now”

Very interesting conversation! And I totally agree that our purpose and values do indeed influence how we perceive and spend our finite time on Earth. Not that it’s necessary, but every thought you both expressed resonated strongly. Great questions and responses, and it was wonderful to hear siesta is still practiced somewhere. As a retiree with lots of time on my hands, I too wonder why calendar pages are turning more quickly. Busier doing all the things we love perhaps?

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Sarah has a theory about time travelling at a greater speed as we age. It has something to do with Einstein’s theory of relativity, but I have forgotten the details of her idea. So I looked up “Does time speed up as we age?” As it happens, Sarah seems to be on to something. I found an article in Psychology today “Why Time Goes By Fast As We Age” which states “Einstein proved that time is relative and actually slows down due to gravity and acceleration. Hence time is relative, depending on its observer, rather than an immutably fixed constant everywhere in the universe.”

A few paragraphs down Adrian Bejan hypothesizes that: “over time, the rate at which we process visual information slows down, and this is what makes time “speed up” as we grow older.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/think-well/202011/why-time-goes-faster-we-age?amp

I am with you, Mary Jo – life seems to go Zoom Zoom and I’m learning to pick up the pace. Sending hugs along with my gratitude!!

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You and Sarah are on to something for sure. Perhaps relativity applies to how busy and happy minds aren’t able to process the outer world as quickly. Hugs+++

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Yes. When we’re lost in the creative process or enjoying special moments, even just reading, time stands still. When we exit those and note the time, we find tempus fugit!

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Many thanks to Valerie and to you Rebecca, for this enthralling conversation about living the actual time. I’ve very much noticed my changes in habits due to climate change. Now, I enjoy getting up very early in the morning so I can do my beloved jobs in our garden and have a longer siesta, like in Spain:) I remember that habit very well, because I have lived it many times and it seemed to me a little bit exaggerated, but now I see the point! Our lives have changed these last months but through my friendships and litterary adventures I find so many very satisfying moments, like this one:)
I think we have the impression that time passes more and more quickly, because there is always left less of this ecceptional privilege!

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I am delighted that you joined Valerie and me in a discussion on time. The thought that this conversation brought to mind – and it will be one that I will be thinking of going forwards: “is there an optimal time for events to occur.” For example, at 18, I was involved in an archeological project that required me to live for 2 months in a tent in a remote location in Northern Manitoba. I would not consider undertaking this journey at my age because I don’t have the physical stamina that is required for this type of work. It seems that we cannot put off the opportunities that come our way and say, there is always tomorrow. Now, I ask myself – are. there opportunities that are specific to my age, right now. Many thank for your visit and insightful comments.

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Yes I remember (slightly)your project in Northern Manitoba, and I think, if it was really your greatest wish to do something like that you would prepare yourself in the best way and you would succeed, Rebecca! In this sense, I wish you many crazy ideas to realize at best as you can at your age! Big hugs:)

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I agree with Valerie’s view that technology is controling us and how we use our time. I’ve always found time a bit confounding. It’s a social contruct to a certain extent, yet it’s an actual phenomenon at the same time.

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Thank you, Valerie and Rebecca for this delightful podcast! You can both write from your wide experience of travel. Your dedication and hours of putting pen to paper gives us, as readers, encouragement to follow your examples. I might add here, that I like your photo, Valerie very beautiful!. I totally agree with you both that the way we spend our time and hours in our days (and years) is very important not only to ourselves, but to others as we connect with and influence them. It is obvious to us who are older that time moves more quickly as we experience life as it passes. And, as we grow older, it is “fun” to reflect back on our experience of life! (I was delighted to read in a comment about your time spent in the wild in the North. I remember how worried I was for your safety, but you did very well) Thank you, to the two of you for this really lovely conversation about living and remembering our time, past and future!

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A fabulous discussion of time, Val and Rebecca. I have had a love/hate relationship with time all my life. I never feel I am using it wisely. Then I look back on my life and realize I have accomplished a lot in a relatively short time. Time can be our enemy or our friend. I guess it’s up to us to decide which it is. Maybe we need to stop fighting with it. Mitch Albom (one of my all-time favourite contemporary authors) wrote a book called The Time Keeper. If you haven’t read it, it is worth a read. In fact, I think I need to re-read it. Thanks for this thought-provoking topic.

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Many thanks for the recommendation to read Mitch Albom’s “The Time Keeper”. I have read his book “The Five People You meet in Heaven” which was a profound reflection on looking back on life. It follows the life and death of a ride mechanic named Eddie who is killed in an amusement park accident and sent to heaven, where he encounters five people who had a significant impact on him while he was alive. The critics were not that enthusiastic, however it remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for 95 weeks. So much for the critics!!

I have located The Time Keeper and have placed a hold on the book (yes, Mitch Albom is very popular) which will be in my hands in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for listening in to this amazing conversation. I always enjoy seeing photos of you and Valerie meeting up for lunch. I wish I could beam on over!! I heard that you are in a heat wave on your side – take care. We are heading into one next week.

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The Five People You Meet in Heaven was the very first of Mitch Albom’s books I read and I was hooked. I’ve read just about everything he’s written since. He has such a profound way with words and ideas. You will love The Time Keeper. Yes, Val and I make good use of our “time” here in Spain. Just had a great lunch a week ago. So busy catching up we forgot to take a picture. Next time!

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I hit send too soon.

This was such an interesting conversation, Rebecca. You and Valerie explored time in many ways that we don’t normally consider. I retired two and a half years ago, and I am still adjusting to the way I perceive time as passing. Some days, it seems I had more time when I was working because I didn’t waste any. Other days, I don’t just enjoy time as it passes. I liked what you both said about living now, in the moment. I think that should be a goal fo all of us.

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I know exactly what you mean, Dan. Times seems to be fluid, but also inflexible. In our modern society was are regulated by measurements of time which are usually connected to a monetary award. We have an hourly wage, accountants and lawyers invoice on the amount of hours, meetings, even social events are marked by time. Time is money, after all!? Marketing budgets, social media channels and news all are on a time schedule. So when we are no longer connected to a measurement of time, we look for other ways in which to give value to time space. For me, it has always been about how many tasks I accomplish in a day. I am exploring ways in which to embrace a fresh perspective. William Faulkner once wrote: “Clocks slay time…time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels, only when the clock stops does time come to life.” Many thanks for listening in, Dan. I enjoy our conversations!

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Terrific conversation, Rebecca and Valerie! I liked the way you both mixed the philosophical and real-life aspects of time. A deep yet entertaining discussion.

As a freelancer now writing mostly what I want to write vs. a former full-time journalist not always writing what I wanted to write, time does seem to fly (faster) when you’re having fun. 🙂 And time also feels like it has sped by when seeing our children at their current ages vs. when they were younger.

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I am delighted that you listened in, Dave. I agree that when we do something we enjoy, time takes on new properties and dimensions. My sister, Sarah, believes there is a scientific explanation, but also thinks like I do, that there are mysteries that will always surround us, igniting our desire to pursue knowledge and explore the unknown. And speaking of children growing up – heading off to my niece’s wedding next week. Wasn’t it only yesterday, I held her as a baby?! YIKES!!!

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Hi Rebecca, this is a very interesting conversation about time which is an elusive dictator. I think the reason time appears to go faster as we get older is twofold: 1. We fill our days, hours, and minutes with so many things and have so many demands made on us that we never stop to enjoy the moment as Valerie mentioned. As children we make much better use of our time because we don’t have the same demands on us. I can remember having the whole holiday stretching ahead like an endless period filled with nothing particular to do. We could spend our time as we pleased. As adult, and even into retirement, we have so many things we try to squeeze in to our lives, there is never a moment to just do nothing. That brings me to point 2 which is aging. As we get older we become aware the our time on this earth is not infinite and so we try to fill it with more to ‘make the most of it.” That brings us full circle back to point 1.

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Thank you for adding your insights to this conversation, Robbie. I have been thinking a great deal about how we experience time in different stages of life. I agree that as we age, we realize the preciousness of life. One of my favouite Joseph Campbell quotes says it best: “Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.” Joseph Campbell, Creative Mythology

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I found this to be such an interesting conversation! I believe it is so very important to live in the now. It is easy to miss so much if we are distracted. When we focus on the immediate moment at hand, we do live our lives in the present. We focus on what people are saying, and we focus on the world around us. Each new day brings gifts, but we must be open to receive those gifts.

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I agree wholeheartedly, Linda. Every day brings gifts – sometimes we don’t recognize them at first, but they are waiting for us to embrace them. We need to pay attention, because as you say so well, when we are distracted, we miss opportunities. Many thanks for your visit and comments!!!

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