Presence as Parallel Lines

Suddenly she stepped right into the oncoming traffic.

• She could have walked away unscathed if she had just stepped back onto the pavement, but instead she turned and cursed the fast-pedaling bicyclist.
  • The ambulance and police came and eventually I moved on to P.S. 116, hoping that she would survive. (Location 890) #eg (Private)

I have always visualized two lines moving parallel to one another in space. One line is time, the other is our perception of the moment. I showed my students these lines with my hands, moving through the air. When we are present to what is, we are right up front with the expansion of time, but when we make a mistake and get frozen in what was, a layer of detachment builds. Time goes on and we stop. Suddenly we are living, playing chess, crossing the street with our eyes closed in memory. And then comes the taxicab. (Location 904)