Time Warp
I never was much of a Star Trek fan. Sorry Trekkies! I do remember something about warp factors and warp speed; although I couldn't tell you what they mean exactly.
Today I believe I experienced a time warp.
According to Wikipedia, "A time warp is a hypothetical, rather than fictitious, change in the continuum of space-time, such as in time dilation or contraction."
So it happened like this: It appeared it was going to be one of those work til you drop Thursdays. My husband has been sick all week with the flu and our very helpful 18 year old daughter has been away all week. With company coming, I realized last night that I'd better be very organized if I want to get all the cooking and cleaning done for Shabbos with no helpers! I made a list and although I did my best to simplify the menu, it was still longer than I fancied.
I woke up late (speaking of time, I don't ordinarily use an alarm clock.) That led to more corner cutting. Yet, that list still loomed over me. In my morning prayers I asked Hashem - Master of Time, Master of All - to grant me the faith that I'll get everything done before Shabbos calmly and in an organized fashion . Before I began my work, I said the prayer I say every week as I begin what I consider one of the holiest tasks of my week - food preparations for the holy Sabbath. I lit a tea candle for mood and put on Reb Shlomo Carlebach music and began my work.
In between chopping, sauteeing, blending, and cooking, I managed
to make a trip to the organic farm, keep my flu-ridden husband well stocked with supplements and tea, make my vegetable juices, eat my own meals basically on time, and do three loads of laundry.
In the early afternoon my sister-in-law called. She apologized for waking me from 'my nap'. When I asked her why she thought I was napping, she replied, 'You sound so calm I thought you'd been sleeping.' I explained that this was not the case and in fact, I've got all kinds of stuff going on in the kitchen.
At that moment, I thought, 'wow, my prayer is being answered. I don't know if I'll get it all done, but I sure am happy to be calm!'
I continued working, took time for lunch and to check my emails. I even spent some time relaxing with a story I'm writing for the grandchildren.
Back in the kitchen, with most of the cooking done (including home-made pesto, tehina, and eggplant salad. If you're interested in some yummy recipes, let me know!) I turned to my husband and asked him if he was interested in having eggs for supper. He looked at me surprised and exclaimed 'but it's only four o'clock!'
What?! How can that be?? I turned around and looked at the clock and there it was, a few minutes to four! Time warp! Absolutely impossible! I looked around, the counters were clean. The sinks were empty. I still had stuff to do but it seemed impossible to have gotten so much done in so little time and even more impressive - it all got done in such calm!
As I continued to chop and cook, refrigerate, and wash up, I pondered this thing called TIME. I often say, there's no such thing as time. After all, time, is a creation. In the infinite scheme of things, there is no time. Before the world was created there was no time. Hashem's perfect timing is beyond time. Imagine that; we can live beyond time! Sometimes I have to work on myself to believe things will get done beyond time. Today I didn't even think about it. I simply prayed for it and it happened!
It makes you wonder about the times we rush, worry, and even give up on getting somewhere on time, getting a project done on time, or waking up on time.
If we let go of time, it can all get done beyond time.
And if we really believe the Creator is Master of time, then whether we make it 'on time' or not has nothing to do with reality. It is all going to happen in His time. We can choose to bend with the illusion of time or we can choose to live beyond time and trust in the Master of time.
I know, it sounds like a bunch of words; but I'm not playing word games. If you take what I am saying seriously, you may just find yourself slipping into time warps you didn't imagine existed.
You don't even need to be traveling in the USS Enterprise. All it takes is faith - faith in the illusion of time and faith in your own prayers.
Shabbat Shalom,
MashaFaygel