Time Flies and the Anxiety of Free Time

When I lived in Rome, over a decade ago, I chanced upon a place that offered time in an isolation tank. This is the contraption that was featured in the film "Altered States," i.e., a covered tub or basin that was filled with hypersalinated 98-degree water then covered up. As such you floated, felt no cold or warmth, heard no sound and saw no light. It was a pretty amazing experience. People who experience the isolation tank have a huge range of experience, from ecstasy to paralyzing fear. Personally I thought it was pretty wonderful. The only crazy thing was my perception and obsession with time. I was having such a great time in the tank, and the tank was altering my perception of time so much, that for a while (who knows how long?) I was fixated on how much time I had left to enjoy this amazing experience.

And so it goes here in BAires. I am having such a great time, but time itself seems elusive, fleeting, of a different nature than it normally is in my "normal" life. And as such, I too often find myself aware of how much time I have left here (I'm scheduled to return the 24th of August, although I must admit that I am starting to consider extending my trip if possible.) and then find myself caught up in the loop of wondering what I'll get done, what I'll see, do, accomplish before my glorious adventure comes to a close.

Not the right way of thinking perhaps, but I am who I am, and only human at that. Still, things continue to be new, fresh, wonderful, and I am grateful.