Distance between New York, N.Y. and Santiago, Chile: 5136 miles
Time zones crossed: 0
Distance between Seattle, W.A. and Florence, Italy: 5527 miles
Time zones crossed: 9
Three days into her trip abroad, I've figured out that distance apart matters psychologically; 5000 plus miles is a lot. But, the complicating factor on top of distance is the time zone conundrum. Nine hours is huge. When I go to bed at night, she is just waking up to start the new day. When I'm having my afternoon slump and seeking out the caffeine fix, she's already in bed (hopefully). Somehow the time zone thing makes her seem much further away as we watch two very different clocks go tick, tock.
If , for example, I were in New York City and she in Santiago, Chile we'd be the same distance apart as Seattle to Florence, give or take. But, we'd share the same time zone. That would be nice but then I balance that flight of fancy with the whole equator effect. The north- south distance would pull in the contrast of seasons. While one was bundled up for winter, the other would be basking in the summer sun.
No matter how you slice it, 5000 miles apart comes with extra baggage. All of this trivia is drivel; just musing as I adjust to the new normal of going to bed at 11:15 PM and thinking about her getting out of bed at 8:15 tomorrow morning. Keep spinning orb, keep us moving forward.
I would need to set up another clock to keep track until I got used to thinking about it. Time is one way to connect with those in other places, to picture what they are doing right now. I have to think twice before I call my friend in New Mexico because of the time difference, and that's only two hours earlier.
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