As I enter my fifth year at Peck, I am still fascinated by the tradition of Kairos Day. I had never heard this word before coming to Peck and the concept of a day celebrating it felt even more curious. 

Here’s what I know so far: chronos time is chronological time. One second, two minutes, three hours. Four days. Five weeks. Six Months. Seven years. 

Here's what I also know: that kairos time can also be measured, but not ordinally, like a number. It’s measured in heart beats. In moments that take your breath away. In tears that get choked up in the back of your eyes. Kairos time has impermanence; its fleeting nature is what makes it so powerful. 

As I have researched and read others' thoughts on the concept of kairos time, my grasp on the meaning of it has begun to take shape. Other writers describe it as “time outside of time;” those magical moments in which time stands still, or the absence of time. 

As a busy working mom of two, I felt these descriptions in my soul. It’s that moment at bedtime when your six-year-old asks you to stay and cuddle, the random hug from your second grader after school, or a moment at dinner when one child does something kind for the other. 

It’s the moments that make the rest worth it. 

At school, we experience many of these moments each day. For a teacher, it can be the moment a student grasps a concept they have been working so hard to understand. It can be a moment of connection between teacher and student or two classmates: when time does seem to slow down, and a smile is exchanged or warmth passes between. 

A kairos moment is a collective moment of laughter, where classmates laugh not at each other, but with one another. It is two friends swinging on the swings next to each other in silence because no words need to be spoken to enjoy the moment. 

It’s that blip of time when, on the car ride to or from school, a child lets their parent into their exclusive inner world, if only for a moment. It’s a cuddle on the couch while watching a movie. It’s a hug goodbye in the morning. 

American culture and media have duped us into thinking everyday should be one giant kairos moment. We all intellectually know that everyday life can't be like the movies we see on the Hallmark Channel or the Pinterest perfect lives we see on Instagram. In reality, we should seek to find one or two of these kairos moments each day. 

So this Kairos Day, think about the conditions necessary to allow you to see and feel the kairos moments happening in your life each day. We all live stressed, over-scheduled, hectic lives, and  it’s easy to miss these moments where time slows down. On Peck’s Kairos Day, we intentionally try to slow down just a little so we are more receptive to these moments. 

Here’s to the myriad kairos moments you will experience this Kairos Day!