समय के समक्ष
 In the Presence of Time
~ Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

I looked at dictionary definitions of the word kinship to explore this teaching. I was drawn to a definition of kinship attributed to Australian Aboriginal people which defines kinship in terms of a person’s responsibilities toward other people, the land, and natural resources.
 
When I apply this definition to “Kinship with time,” I see I have a responsibility toward time. And when I take this perspective, I am more thoughtful and intentional in my attitude to, and use of, time. 
 

I feel “kinship with time” when I enter the kitchen at the exact moment the toast in the toaster is ejected with a ding, or when a classical concert on my car radio completes a concluding crescendo at the exact moment I park and turn off the engine, or when I press “Send” on an email and in just that moment I receive an email from the person I just wrote to.
 
Such synchronous events that happen to me without apparent rhyme or reason in my daily life make me feel in harmony with the great Self. It is as if there is a script for a play, written and directed by the Self, and I “hit my cues” at the perfect time. Those moments feel to me like little pats on the shoulder for playing my part well, for being in “kinship with time”—in kinship with the Self.
 

I had to look up at the translation and then the meaning of the word kinship. One of the definitions states that kinship indicates an anthropological or blood relation, such as a relative, or a deeply rooted relationship connecting entities beyond the family.
 
This led me to a new awareness of time, as I came to perceive time as an intrinsic part of myself as a human being, and as something deeply related to my perception of being alive. In my attempt to explore this, I can say that only when I am fully absorbed within the inner space do I experience this amazing and complex relationship in which time embraces me and is as close to me as my very own breath.
 

My body changes, relationships and places change, thoughts and feelings change. All this happens in and with time—for time and I are one, and we are made of change. In my embrace of change I embrace the soft, velvety folds of time as well.
 
Today as I washed my small pair of brass padukas with rosewater and milk, massaging them with ghee and honey, I had a great time infused with feelings of tender love. The padukas will never change, yet they are a witness to my “kinship with time.”