I woke up Sunday, glanced at the time on my iPhone charging at my bedside, and thought, whoa! I slept in. Great.
I logged into my zoom meet up with my colleague.
9:02
I rush to refill my cup of coffee.
Back. No one there.
Hmm. Probably on her way.
I start a letter while I’m waiting and think of the idea of how I use “edge time,” squeezing things in during wait times. I continue writing and keep glancing up, looking for the waiting room signal to flash on the screen.
I check the time, 9:15.
No Michelle.
I text, “hey, am I in the right place? time? “
I take another sip of coffee and continue my letter.
As I start my third page, I get worried.
Maybe something’s wrong. I text, “you ok?”
I consider driving over.
Interestingly, I never think of calling.
And finally, a text back, “Oh s….! I totally forgot the time change. I’ll be right there!”
Wait. Time change?
I look at my computer, my Apple watch, my iPhone. All confirming the time 9:25. And I panic. What time is it? Really?
All of my devices put me on the correct time without my knowledge. On the one hand, that’s good. I wasn’t late. But actually, it is disturbing. I think back to my text, am I in the right place? time? The devices changed without my knowledge. My stove and car are the only devices in my life that have a clock that I control.
Before I start railing at the horrors of technology, I take a step back. This is not about technology, it’s about my awareness. And, it’s about how much time rules the way I move in the world.
After my zoom, I walk to the kitchen stove and take comfort in thinking I can control time.
Read more slices here.
To Read To Write To Be 
I talked to my mother who said, “We forgot to change the clocks.” They still do it the old-fashioned way. I wanted to say, but didn’t, “Didn’t you check your phone?” I’ve come to count on technology to keep me straight.
Such a sweet reminder from your mom!
It really is disorienting! When I saw the time yesterday morning I couldn’t decide if my phone had automatically updated. And then this morning, it’s so dark at a time I’m usually watching the sunrise. It’s making me feel sleepy!
This morning is a rude awakening! The change in time is obvious today.
This is so true! Our technology does so much for us that even that can be disorienting!
I get very mixed up sometimes when the automatic things say one time and the manual ones say something different. WHICH ONE IS RIGHT??!
There is something eerie about time being lost in the spring and found in the fall without us often being aware. Your lovely slice reminds me that I live too much by the clock!
I appreciate the technology time change feature. It’s especially useful when traveling across time zones!
Time does rule our lives, but it’s always fun to escape those time restraints occasionally.