A cabin is not a comfortable place for a person obsessed with time. In cabin routines, the minutes get rounded off or ignored altogether. It becomes difficult to make or meet commitments that are structured in hours. A social engagement is more likely to begin ëafter supperí than at 7:15. A fishing expedition will depart ëwhen we get back from town.í We will go canoeing again ëwhen the wind dies down a little.í

Time without hours and minutes can be a pain. It is hard on a cook trying to provide a meal. It is inconvenient for an eager child, who wants to go fishing at a precise and promised moment. It is sometimes awkward for a family, as they wait for another family to join them for a pre-arranged activity.

I believe it comes upon us naturally, however, when we are able to live with the true cycles of the dayóthe sunrise, the sunset, the gradual buildup of the heat, and its gentle dissipation. You may be surprised, returning from an adventure, or just coming up from the dock, at how late it gotówhile you were on river time.

Part of this different mindset about time is the extended dusk, the long, lingering twilight of summer in the north. Twilight accommodates activities that were neglected earlier in the day. Even in a cabin without electric lighting, you will have time to catch up, in the cool of the evening.

River time is a loose structure, around which you can build glorious days. Roughly conscious of the passing hours, it cannot be bothered with minutes. It is, in part, an attitude. It does not demean punctuality, but puts it in new perspective. It may not be as important that you get somewhere at a specific minute, as that you spend your time well.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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