Intensity

Surely everyone experiences alternating periods of longer, unchanging times and quick, sudden, eventful periods in life.

Just think of a week when time seems to pass very slowly from Monday to Thursday, and then suddenly, you wake up and it's Monday morning again. Or summer, which we always look forward to so much and ends so quickly.

This periodicity can be observed in other areas as well, just in a less predictable way.

Returning to Malta was such an intense experience and so sudden that the only thing that helps in such situations (for me) is consolidation.

Consolidation can be anything that relaxes and helps to summarize. A long walk, running, journaling, gym time, talking through swirling emotions with someone. Listening to a few relevant songs. A big sleep during which everything settles.

A recurring thought regarding the above is that during the slow periods, we usually crave the intense, more demanding time and vice versa.

But sometimes there are certain situations when we feel that this is exactly what we wanted, and therefore we immerse ourselves in the given situation. This requires a lot of experience, practice, attention, and discipline, as well as the awareness that change is not necessarily forever.

For me, this last one was the hardest to master, as in an intensely changing environment, the speed at which things develop can be very scary.

But let's look at an example from the above.

How does an average weekday pass in Malta?

We walk, sit, talk, drink, eat, laugh, gain information and experience. Work on something. We might also cook, exercise, read. Sleep.

And what can happen over a weekend?

Pretty much the same things, just viewed from a slightly different perspective, with different intensity and accompanied by different experiences.

But essentially, aren’t the two the same?

No, not at all.