Dietze, Things You Can Learn From Drinking A Beer

“You have to let it settle until it goes completely black, you see”

the Dublin-native promptly told me at the bar as I began to selfishly took a gulp of my freshly served frosty Guinness. It had been a long day, and I was quite thirsty. I shamefully set my glass back down on the bar's surface. "Like a good wine" he continued, "it takes time." Ah yes, time. I am guilty of clinging onto this so called time. Never want to waste any time, must conserve by multitasking! So much so that my phone isn't just for calling, I have the entire world at my fingertips. God it's exhausting. 

Here in Ireland, I am on a different time schedule (literally). I no longer use my phone to text friends or make calls, days can pass before I even take it out of my bag. I'm never quite sure what time it is exactly, especially with this sunlight hugging onto to the day as long as possible. The Irish have their own way of telling time. It's called patience. Though the streets can get quite busy in town, the moment you walk into a bar or store of your choice, time is on your side. There isn't an emphasis on productivity or time efficiency, like I feel back home. There is no music playing in the pub I’m in, nor any neon pixelated television screens hovering from the ceiling corners. There are people reading newspapers, having friendly conversations with one another. I note this to my new Dubliner friend, "the sound of a bar make its own music” he says. I listen. The clinging of glasses, the pouring of fresh lager, laughter and fainted talking in its distance. I appreciate its natural sound and the lack of  entertainment distractions. They seem to be the ones truly spending their time well. Not measuring by checked off to-do lists, but with satisfaction and quality. 

(Google)  

The people here also embrace their unpredictable rainy windy weather, not letting it stop them from going outside even its occasional frigidness. They just come prepared for it. That's all we really can do with this thing we call time. Our measurement system. We can't worry, we can be prepared, and the rest is patience. Things take time, they develop and they have to thicken, like my beautifully poured Guinness sitting in front of me. It has finally settled and I put my anxious lips to its icy brim. He was right.