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Tera Ray's avatar

I just finished reading "Saving Time" by Jenny Odell and one metaphor that she suggested for thinking about time was seeds or beans. She writes, "Time is not money. Time is beans. It was as serious as many jokes are, which is to say about half. Saying it meant that you could take time and give time, but also that you could plant time and grow more of it and that there were different varieties of time. It meant that all your time grew out of someone else’s time, maybe out of something someone planted long ago. It meant that time was not the currency of a zero-sum game and that, sometimes, the best way for me to get more time would be to give it to you, and the best way for you to get some would be to give it back to me. If time were not a commodity, then time, our time, would not be as scarce as it seemed just a moment ago. Together, we could have all the time in the world." I'm definitely going to put "The Invention of Hugo Cabaret" on my to read list. Thank you for sharing your beautiful beans with me. ☺️

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Frances's avatar

Love the metaphor of thinking about time as beans or seeds

I am definitely going to try reading Anna’s suggestion I Am currently reading Celeste Ng’s Our Missing Hearts Everything in it feels so familiar PACT felled like where our country is going Hope it’s not a good predictor of our country’s future

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

I love it too. I have not read that book but I liked Little Fires Everywhere

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

I love this and have put this book on my to reads list. I do love the phrase spending your beautiful beans. I think a lot about working from a place of abundance rather than a place of scarcity so this connects really well. Thank you for always recommending excellent books.

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Andrea Bass's avatar

I love the way you write about gardening. Reading about things women are passionate about always brings me joy.

What you said about getting lost in time really resonates. Madeleine L’Engle talks about time in Walking on Water, my favorite book about how art and faith intersect. She says chronos is chronological time in which our routines happen, but kairos is when we step outside of time and become the truest version of ourselves. I’m glad I was reminded of that today!

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

I love that. It applies perfectly. Thank you for sharing.

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Ali's avatar

B is always stealing back time, he loves journaling in the tub. :) Happy birthday, Anna!

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Liz Melville's avatar

Summer dreams of dirt and sun and time. Loved this.

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Dreams of dirt and sun. 🤗

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Judith Spitzer's avatar

Great story and love the book recs. I knew someone who said they think about their day and their energy by how many spoons they have left. Sorry I can't do that tonight I only have 1/2 spoon left to get to bedtime. It works for me. Thanks for writing.

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

I like that. I’m glad you liked the story. Thanks for reading.

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Sherri's avatar

Hugo is one of my all time favorite movies…don’t think I’ve read the book or The Phantom Tollbooth either…adding both to my list as well as others mentioned in the comments—The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a wonderful read about time travel. You post today is both thought provoking and resonating as well…garden planning time indeed! ❤️

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Thanks for reading Sherri and for the book rec. it’s on my list. 🤗

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Have you read "A Sideways Look At Time" by Jay Griffiths?

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

I have not. Would you recommend it?

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Sue Clancy's avatar

Yes!! It's a thought provoking read about time from multiple view points.

Also excellent is Time and the Art of Living by Robert Grudin.

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Sue Clancy's avatar

I love all those books!! Peter Rabbit was a favorite when I was a kid!!! Yes, time can be a neighbor or a companion rather than a taskmaster or an enemy.💚💚💚💚💚

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Yes! Exactly! Thanks for reading!

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Paolo Peralta's avatar

This is inspiring ❤️

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Thank you Paolo! Thanks so much for reading!

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