The unwritten clock of human behaviour
This week I want to talk about the slow drift of time in our lives. How it ebbs and flows in a reliable, predictable way.
But crucially, I want to give attention to how we can notice the passage of time without the use of a watch or calendar — how we can do it by watching other humans.
Early last month I saw something that I knew was going to happen. It happened, and it happened exactly how I thought it would. But it still surprised me in an unexpected way. It was the January Gym Rush.
On Jan 2nd the gym was full of newbies: The couple getting fit together. The mother lost, figuring out how to use the squat rack. And the randomly huge Chinese guy who you think could probably lift a mountain if he wanted.
I’d seen the same thing happen on other Jan 2nds in my life: 2022, 2019, and so on. In fact, it’s so predictable I could probably set my watch to it.
This got me thinking: how else could I tell the date or time by simply watching other people?
I thought about it, and came up with this list:
January: You see Christmas trees on the kerb1, and your friends are saying “it’s actually nice out! 🥲”.
February: Nothing. If nothing happens for a month, it’s probably February.
March: You and your friends (successfully) justify a late night out, thanks to daylight savings time ⏰
April: You see gargantuan chocolate eggs available at the store for a discount, post-Easter 🐰
May: You see me sneezing 🤧
June: …?
July: Your patience all year is rewarded, and finally get to see how hairy (or not) your friends feet are. That’s right, it’s Birkenstock season🩴
August: …?
Sept: You dress for sun, rain, cloud and 3 other niche weather(s?) each day, but somehow you’re always either too hot or too cold, and never quite right🌡️
Oct: You’re positively encouraged to wear the colour orange, and you taste your first pumpkin spice latte all year2 🎃
Nov: It’s socially permissible to wear North Face jackets and duck boots3 (but for some reason, they’re never seen together on the same person) 🦆
Dec: …?
This was fun! But I couldn’t figure out the months of June, August or December.
If you’ve any ideas for me, I’d love to hear them! Leave me comment below, and let’s figure this out together.
Till next week!
Credit to JP for their help in writing this piece 🦦