Every day, I stop and take time to blog. Yesterday morning, after I’d taken the time and the room to write my post, I dropped one of my favorite watches. It fell face down and — with the sound of glass meeting wooden floor — time stopped for me momentarily, as I catastrophized and imagined the worst:
I’ve broken that watch. I know it’s ruined.
When I picked up my beloved time-keeper, my negative thoughts stopped because I saw a face neither broken nor scratched. I then stopped to take the time to put on my watch, carefully.
Later in the day, I glanced at my watch to discover it had stopped.
I realized it was stopped at the exact time I had dropped my watch at home.
For the rest of the day, time was stopped at five minutes to 10, according to my watch. Nevertheless, I did not stop using my time at work.
After my time at work had stopped, I went to see a dance concert at one of Boston’s most popular venues, The Orpheum Theater. Throughout my life, I’ve stopped to enjoy performances at the Orpheum by Bruce Springsteen, Pat Metheny, the Moody Blues, and many other amazing musicians.
I stopped to snap these photos:
At some point during the night, time stopped again as I heard about the violence in Paris — at a soccer field, cafes, and a concert hall much like the Orpheum.
I hope the violence stops.
I’m stopping this post to express my grief about time stopping for so many, last night.
Finally, I never stop feeling grateful for those who dance, those who read, and those who work for peace.