“Normal” Time

20 May 2025

Today was a wicked wonky day, time-wise. Yes, I meant to write “wicked wonky.” I am a Northern New Englander, after all, minus the accent. (Grammarly is very confused right now.)

Allow me to explain.

“‘Normal’ Time” is an original blog post by Ellen M. Gregg, published on 20 May 2025 on ellenmgregg.com. #time #humantime #spirittime #realtime

Wicked wonky time

It all started when I woke up a full hour later than usual this morning. Most days, even weekend days, I wake up around 6:00 or so, and then I’m “up and at ‘em.” Today, it was 7:17 am when I sat up with a start, followed by a gasp when I noted the time.

This unwelcome start to my day had such a profound effect that I felt completely out of sync with “normal” time. It was to such an extent that I was just shy of 10 minutes late to my first two sessions of the day, despite being certain I was on time. Then, I had all of two minutes to spare when I finally realized my third session was about to start.

Thankfully, my clients were understanding and were able to flow with the adjusted schedule. It also helped that my third client was feeling similarly challenged by the human clock.

“Normal” time

At one point, following the morning session debacle, I found myself wondering where “real” time was. After I laughed at myself for thinking of time as real, I began reflecting on how humans create and maintain the concept of “normal” time.

I witness the problem with this every day in my personal life. Somewhere along the way, time became all but irrelevant to my mother. That’s why I make every effort to maintain a schedule that supports her to have time ports throughout the day.

Meals are a constant: breakfast at 9:00, lunch at 1:30, and dinner at 6:30. Bedtime is somewhat consistent, as we tend to be ready for rest by around 10:00. Wake-up time, generally speaking, is also about the same for us. (I’m looking at you, 6:00 am.)

The thing about all that is, I’m the one who keeps us on schedule. The passing of time often goes unnoticed by my mother, unless she notices that it’s time for her favorite game show. (Funny that it’s that she remembers, while all else falls away.)

Intuitive time?

I wonder what might happen if it were possible to follow time in an intuitive manner. It would mean waking up, eating, working, playing, and going to bed when we felt intuitively guided to do so. It would likely mean that every human following time in this manner would have their own unique schedule.

There would be no conformity to speak of in a world where conformity oftentimes seems revered. I have a feeling that for those choosing this route, it would be blissful and, more likely than not, surprisingly productive in a wholesome and healthy way. It would make much more sense than trying to adhere to our concept of normal time. It would certainly be more holistic.

What’s your take?

I’d love to know your thoughts on time. Does our human approach feel normal to you, or do you feel that an intuitive approach to time would be more favorable?