Line, circle, and dot

Have you ever noticed how the flight home always feels faster than the flight out?

The activities are the same, the views are the same—sometimes the duration is even longer on paper—but somehow, returning feels quicker. I think it’s because we experience time differently in each direction.

On the way out, time moves in a straight line—from A to B. We don’t know what awaits us, so we watch the clock, anticipate, hope, and wait. Expectation stretches time.

On the way back, time feels circular—from A returning to A. We know what lies ahead, so we release expectation. We let time flow and find ourselves back home almost effortlessly.

Travel reveals how our sense of time mirrors our inner state. I’ve spent many years living on a straight timeline—chasing goals, watching the clock, straining toward destinations. The more I waited for progress, the slower life felt.

But when my mind softened, I began to live in circles instead—doing what I love repeatedly, without chasing. I enjoyed the process so much that time began to disappear. Some days, I even wished it would slow down.

Eventually, I realised both forms of time coexist. My life is made of circular dots connected in a straight line—moments of joy, creation, rest, reflection—all forming a quiet path forward.

I no longer draw the line just to reach the end. I just place one dot at a time—some small, some big—and somehow, those dots become direction.