My stepdad was highly functional and undeniably extraordinarily intelligent. He also had several symptoms of of autistic spectrum including a prediliction to interpret things literally that were obviously metaphorical. He was a world, famous scientist and admired by his colleagues, friends and family. But his solutions to every day problems were noticably odd.
For instance, one day he observed that his watch was consistantly a second slow over a long period of time. Rather than correct it regularly, he preferred to tape a little sign on his watch. See the photo for what this looked like.
And this is just one example of the length he would go to to avoid wasting his time. This saved him valuable minutes and in his view was always right. Form and function always won out over elegance.
So why bother saving time? What are we saving it for? Neil liked to sit and watch the news, nibbling on peanuts and sipping scotch. Some people might think this is a complete waste of time. What some find boring, others might find engaging, or perhaps just relaxing.
I joked to a friend one day that my obsessions with the things I most loved to do came out of a combination of pleasure addiction and boredom avoidance. A little bit of carrot and stick, backed up by a reluctance to relax and do nothing. I have been known to play piano for an entire day, sometimes only taking bathroom breaks and forgetting to eat, drink, or make sure the blood is getting to my feet.
But I heard a comedian joking today that boredom is a gift to be relished, and perhaps pursued. I know it’s the easiest way to slow our perception of time. Is it also therefore the secret to staying young?
JAN RANDALL 