No Time Like the Present

The Disco Fever Ride at the Amsterdam Kermis

The value of time is a strange concept. We are all told to appreciate it because it’s the only currency we spend without knowing the balance. I get this as much as the next person, but you need to work, you need to cook, you need to clean, and there’s just not enough time for everything.

Time really didn’t mean much to me in general. I spent mine with the people I love, and that was always sufficient. Although I could easily define how I spent it, I did not pay much mind to how I spent my time on a daily basis. Of course, now I notice time, which is something that I never did.

In the Netherlands, you notice time in the smallest ways. You are always aware of time. In the most basic things you do, I now monitor the minutes between buses and trains to know how quickly I need to run between platforms. I can accurately tell people in how many minutes I can return a call because I know to the minute when I will be at home. It’s like clockwork. I’ve learned to get to know myself in terms of time too—like how many minutes it takes me to get my keys and put on my jacket. The number of times I can check the stove before leaving the house, and the list goes on.

You learn to feel the hours, because the day lights savings shift puts us one hour behind South Africa. This small time difference means that your schedules are no longer in sync with your family and friends, and it puts a significant amount of pressure on when and how you can communicate. When you wake up, they are already at school. This is one of the things about the time shifts I do not enjoy.

Beyond the practical changes in time, there is also a deeper shift because every decision of your time belongs to you. You always have to respect the time of others. You cannot call your colleagues during lunch; it’s rude, and you stop working at 5. Even if you call, nobody will wait a minute later than the closing time, no matter how close you are to the store. If you’re late, you simply return tomorrow. Time no longer means counting down the hours and the days but instead filling up our days with the activities that mean the most.

As time passes, I’m slowly learning that it’s not only acceptable but celebrated to take an afternoon to sit in the sun at the park, lose yourself in a game, or take a walk along the beach. Time, in this sense, becomes more than just something to manage or fill with tasks. It becomes an opportunity to savor, to reconnect with the present moment, and to enjoy life on your own terms. It’s a reminder that, in the end, the best way to spend time is to allow ourselves to simply be, without always measuring the minutes or rushing to the next thing.

Until next time. ♥️