Time Whisperer
May 22, 2023 – Peoria, Illinois, USA
The two-story house looked like the others in the upper-middle class neighborhood, including the same manicured landscaping. The sign on the front door read, “Come in and take a seat if you have an appointment.” Heidi Sallyforth felt strange simply walking inside, but on the other side of the door she found what looked like a waiting room. She sat on a couch facing a coffee table covered in magazines. A fountain gurgled out of view, at a volume just louder than the calming flute music playing on overhead speakers. Prints of forest scenes hung on the wall.
Heidi barely had time to admire the room before a woman appeared trailing a young man with long hair. Both ignored Heidi as the woman walked the man to the door and reminded him of their next session together. Then the woman turned and acted like Heidi had materialized from nowhere.
“You must be Heidi. I’m Seneca Slade.”
“Nice to meet you,” Heidi replied, standing up.
“Let me take a look at you. Oh, you’re a beautiful young woman. I can see the light and energy in your eyes. I hope I can be of some help to you. Please follow me back to my listening room.”
Heidi instantly admired Seneca. The woman’s voice was unhurried and confident. She had something of an ageless face but traces of gray in her auburn hair. Heidi followed her down a short hallway and into a room filled with sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. Prism generated rainbows danced on the white walls. The air smelled fresh, as if they were outside.
Heidi sat in a reclining chair with a view of a meadow leading from the house’s backyard. Seneca faced her, sitting in a less comfortable high-backed chair. The rest of the room was empty except for potted plants resting on the floor and hanging from the ceiling.
“You came highly recommended,” Heidi said, making eye contact with Seneca. “My friends tell me you changed their lives.”
Seneca did not ask which friends. She suddenly had an open notebook in her lap and a pen in her hand. “I’m very glad to hear that. What can I do for you?”
“Well, overall, my life is pretty good. I like my job. I like my friends. I’m in a good situation. It’s just that life is too hectic. I’m always stressed. It’s like every second I’m supposed to be doing something. I never have time to relax.”
“And you feel unhappy or that you’re missing something?”
“For example, I’d like to go to the gym more often but either I can’t squeeze it in or I’m totally tired when I get there. I just need more time.”
“How about describing one of your typical days?”
Heidi provided details about her workdays and Seneca took careful notes, looking like she was fascinated. When Heidi was done, Seneca glanced up from her notebook and said, “I guarantee I can help you.”
“You guarantee it?”
“As long as you complete the simple assignments I give you, in two months from now, you’ll think you have thirty hours in every day. I tell people that one of my specialties is time whispering. I create extra time that wasn’t there before.”
“That sounds great. Impossible, but great.”
“As I said, in order for it to work, you need to complete all the assignments I give you. And we’ll meet each week to follow up. And I require my entire consulting fee up front.”
Heidi barely hesitated. “I have a good feeling about this. I’m committed. Just tell me what to do.”
“Your first assignment is easy. I want you to watch a relaxation video for one hour each day. I’ll send you links for videos you can choose.”
“That’s it?”
“For now. We’ll start gently.”
“I don’t see how it’s creating more time for me. Seems like the videos will be taking some of the limited time I have.”
“You need to trust me.”
Heidi left Seneca’s house that afternoon dedicated to following instructions. When she returned to her townhome, she decided to watch her first video after getting ready for bed. Perched upright with pillows behind her back, she switched from scrolling through social media feeds to staring at the Seneca video. It contained no spoken words, only instrumental music and the sounds of wind and running water. A camera panned over sweeping landscapes and microscopic views of plants. Heidi felt numbingly bored but she stuck it out for an entire hour. By that point, she was only in the mood to sleep. She conked out earlier than usual and woke up early the next day.
Heidi kept up the video watching for the entire week even though it was boring and set her into an early sleep. She was proud to report to Seneca how perfectly she had performed the assignment.
“Very good,” Seneca said from the upright chair in the listening room. “How did it make you feel?”
“Bored. Tired. Kind of like I was wasting my time.”
“Sounds like you slept soundly. Rest is very important. It relieves stress and increases your capacity. Keep watching the videos each day. And now let’s talk about healthy eating.”
“I try to be careful with what I eat,” Heidi replied self-consciously.
“Yes. Now I want you to go a step further. I want you to buy and prepare your food fresh every day. Visit your supermarket as part of your daily routine. Only buy what you need for the next 24 hours.”
“What about using my refrigerator?”
“Don’t. A good rule of thumb is to not use your refrigerator or your dishwasher.”
“How will that save any time? Sounds like more time wasting to me.”
“You may not see the reasons or the big picture, but I do. I’m here to provide a broad perspective.”
Heidi stopped at the supermarket on her way home. She found it hard to shop for one day’s worth of food. She bought one piece of chicken, one potato, one orange, and a tiny helping of butter. She spent plenty of time preparing dinner that night, which meant she had to ignore emails and text messages from work colleagues.
Heidi’s job involved sales and marketing for a pet food company. She felt obligated to respond to people’s good ideas no matter when they arrived. That meant she was always thinking about pet food and generating good ideas of her own. Cooking for herself took her mind away from what dogs and cats should be eating. But she trusted Seneca and continued the odd assignment to visit the supermarket each day and then spend the evening chopping, baking, and frying for her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With less time at home to contemplate dog food, she forced herself to finish all work communication before leaving the office. And watching Seneca’s videos meant she had absolutely no time for her social media accounts.
“I’m more squeezed than ever,” Heidi complained to Seneca during their next listening session. “It’s like I’m spending my whole life shopping, cooking, and cleaning.”
“How does your body feel?” Seneca asked in reply.
“My body feels okay. Actually, pretty strong.”
Seneca paused to look out the window and then said calmly, “This is all a process. It may not make sense to you, but I’ve seen it work hundreds of times. Do you believe me?”
“Yes.”
“Good. This week I want you to start walking to and from work.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“From what you’ve described, it’s not very far. A few miles.”
“Walking that far takes a long time. I’ll have to leave way earlier. And before work is when I try to go to the gym. I don’t see how this is going to help me.”
“You’re resourceful. You’ll figure out how to make it work. And don’t forget your daily meals and relaxation videos.”
Heidi left feeling frustrated and angry. She was not planning to walk to work the next day until she calmed down while watching a relaxation video. When she woke up the next morning, instead of getting ready for the gym, she dressed for work and began the three-and-a-half mile walk to the office. The hike took about the same time she typically spent driving back and forth to her gym and sampling various fitness machines. She complained about sore feet to her coworkers even before making the return journey.
When Heidi arrived home feeling exhausted and realized she still needed to drive to the supermarket for food, she got very close to quitting. Seneca was making her life miserable and seemed more like a con artist than a therapist. Heidi never wanted to see her again, despite having already paid the up-front fee.
Heidi was surprised when she woke up the next morning with renewed determination. She found herself caring about Seneca’s opinion. She wanted to prove something. She walked to work again in more comfortable shoes. On the way home, she adjusted her route so it intercepted the supermarket. She reached her townhome carrying fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. She continued walking and shopping for the rest of the week.
“Well, I did it,” Heidi proclaimed to Seneca. “I don’t know why, but I did it. But I didn’t get any days at the gym. Going to the gym more consistently was one of the things I wanted you to help with.”
“How does your body feel?” Seneca asked gently.
“Pretty good, I guess. My legs are tired.”
“You’re doing wonderfully. I can see energy radiating out of you. You’re one of my best students.”
Heidi could not help smiling at the compliments.
From a box near her chair, Seneca lifted out a small pot containing a bamboo plant. “Having indoor plants is a great boost to your mind and body. I find that bamboo is especially stimulating. Your next assignment is to take this home and provide it with water taken fresh from the lake each day.”
“What difference does the water make? Why can’t I give it water from my sink?”
“It thrives when it has water taken fresh from a living source, like a river or lake.”
“I’m supposed to find time to visit the lake every day for a little bit of water?”
“Exactly.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. How is any of this helping me find more time? That’s why I came to you.”
“You’re halfway there,” Seneca replied confidently. “You’re making perfect progress.”
Heidi reluctantly carried the bamboo plant home and stuck it in a corner where it would barely be noticed. She started the week by driving to Peoria Lake for special water, but she ended the week by including a stop at the lake on her walking route. She arrived home from work carrying fresh groceries and fresh lake water.
All the walking gave her lots of undistracted thinking time. It was during one walk that she came up with one of her best ideas ever for a pet food promotion. Her company would team up with a frozen-food provider to create matching meals. A dog and its owner could both enjoy flavors like beef stew or chicken and rice. It would be a fun way for dedicated pet lovers to share experiences with their furry friends.
Heidi was lucky she had those kinds of brainstorms while walking because she had little time to have them while completing Seneca’s other assignments. She complained loudly about her unmanageable schedule during the next listening session.
To Heidi’s surprise, Seneca did not drop another assignment on top of her existing load. Instead, she said, “After the first week of lake water, the bamboo can thrive with water from the tap. You can stop your lake visits.”
“That’s it? Nothing new?”
“You’re doing great. Keep up everything else.”
When Heidi returned a week later, Seneca had more surprising news. “I think you’ve learned a great deal about time management. You’re free to drive your car back and forth to work again.”
“No more walking? But I’ve gotten kind of used to it. I kind of feel like I don’t need to visit the gym when I’m doing all that walking. Maybe I’ll walk some days during the week. When the weather’s nice.”
“Your choice. You’re empowered to do what’s best for you.”
Heidi returned to the next week’s listening session to report she walked three out of five workdays.
“You’re thriving. Your health is great. Your aura is bright. You can return to using your refrigerator.”
“I don’t need to shop every day?”
“Shop as much or as little as you like.”
“Maybe I’ll only shop once a week. Can I use the dishwasher?”
“Sure, use the dishwasher.”
A week later, before Heidi could report on the previous week’s progress, Seneca again complimented her. “You’ve come very far. You no longer need to watch the relaxation videos for one hour every day. Watch them as much as you need them.”
Heidi did not seem happy to hear the news. “To tell you the truth, I felt kind of bored last week. After taking away all the assignments, it was like I had too much time on my hands.”
Seneca smiled gracefully. “And you were able to do your job well and meet all your other obligations?”
“I’m doing better at work than I ever have. I’m not stressed. I don’t really understand how it happened, but it’s like life around me slowed down. I was even thinking about going back to school or volunteering somewhere.”
Seneca nodded slowly and said with satisfaction. “Wonderful. The process worked to perfection. Your body now thinks you have thirty hours in each day. Shall we talk a little about what you’re going to do with all this extra time you’ve found?”
Heidi nodded excitedly, happy to hear Seneca confirm that she was now operating with time-expanding superpowers.
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