Did something stop time for you today?

Ever had one of those days when you feel like you just have to run, from the moment you wake ’til the moment you finally fall into bed?

I know, right? There have been times in my life when the more relevant question was, have I ever not had a day like that. 

Today was one of those days. I was up at Stupid O’Clock to join an international web call only to listen to my colleagues on the other side of the planet complain they hadn’t had time for their second cup of coffee yet. Luxury, to quote Monty Python. 

It didn’t get better from there. Lots of appointments, lots of emails, lots of catching up, lots of falling behind. 

And then came the moment time stopped for me.

Privileged as I undoubtedly am to live on Australia’s magical east coast, I often resent hearing people talk about seeing whales I didn’t see. 

The annual migration of hump back whales up (and down) our coastline has been a time of immense joy and wonder for me. Last year, on my very first morning after leaving my full-time corporate role, a whole pod of whales played in my ocean front yard for almost an hour, frolicking and cavorting, having a whale of a time. It was like a sign, a show put on especially for me, to affirm I’d made the right decision for my future self. 

This year, I’ve heard people talking daily about the whales they’ve seen. A guest last weekend saw one from my deck, but it was gone by the time I got there and it didn’t reappear.

I’ve seen nary a one.

Until today, when I caught the tell-tale plume out of my peripheral vision and spun just in time to see the splash. Time stopped. I stopped. I stopped and watched for a quarter hour or so while the whale beckoned and teased and splashed. Awesome!

Time stopped, because I stopped. I didn’t lose anything by stopping for a few minutes, and my day has been made immeasurably richer for the stopping. 

I’m already planning to stop tomorrow, because that’s how you see whales. And whales make everything better.

So do butterflies. Birds. Ants. Clouds. Spiders building cobwebs.Toddlers discovering their toes. Breeze lifting the hair on the back of your neck. 

What will you stop time for? 

(Disclaimer: the photos are mine, but not today’s whale. I was too busy watching to capture the moment on film!)