Tick-tock, tick-tock . . .
Time. How we view it says so much about who we are.
Communities that depend on farming and nature think of time as a circle. Some myths from India speak of how the world is born and dies, over and over again. This is called cyclical time, and it is measured by seasons, phases of the moon, and when plants are able to grow. When you can't find your favorite fruit in the supermarket because it is "out of season," you are using cyclical time. Another example of cyclical time is in fashion - "back to school" fall fashion, winter coats, light spring outfits, summer swim-wear - the debut of each is a marking of cyclical time.
Another way of marking time isn't as well known and originates in Africa. In this system, there are two different kinds of time: what already has happened, and what is happening or about to happen. Memories move backward into what is known as the "graveyard of time" and more focus is given to the future.
Finally, there's linear time. Basically, it says that time is a straight line, always moving forward. This is most used in the United States because it lets people recognize cause and effect. Historians also use it to keep track of how things change. Often, linear time goes on the assumption that the present is an improvement of the past. This can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on the situation. Have you ever seen a timeline? This is a perfect example of linear time.
Now we use numbers to keep track of time - seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades . . . it goes on and on. An everyday tool used for measuring time is the calendar.
But what happens when the year is up and the calendar is out of date? Well, read ahead!
Time After Time
Make something with an old calendar that will endure time after time! Cut a rectangle out around picture or section from the calendar that you like. Use a marker to add captions, write a joke, or doodle in something funny. Get the finished piece laminated (you can find a laminator at your local copy shop). Your new place mat will brighten up a meal, and impress your guests!
525,600 Minutes
Preserve all 525,600 of 'em by turning your old calendar into something to hold those memories. Flip back to the very beginning of the calendar, and find a blank space to write a little about yourself and your feelings about the year. Then fill every inch with comments! If it says you went to a birthday party one day, write down the names of the other people who were there, and what you did. If you went on vacation for a week, take seven pictures from the trip and glue one down for each day. The number one rule: by the time you finish, there should be no blank spaces left!
Let's Do the Time Warp Again
Take a book cover or a greeting card and make it completely warped by using pictures from an old calendar. Cut it out, glue it down, and make a collage! It makes for a great way to save other paper, keeps your calendar from ending up in the trash, and adds an artsy touch to your work. Or, give it as a gift!
If you want to see your idea in my next article, y-mail me! The winner will get a free face part from the store Scavenger's at Akbar's Face Mall.
"We haven't the time to take our time."
-Wicked777
Author's Note: Quote by Lawrence Durrell
Source: "The Human Drama: From the Beginning to 500 C.E." by Donald James Johnson and Jean Elliott Johnson
