Shear Jam

I was always fascinated by the high school science experiments that we did with cornstarch and water. The general principle that is taught is that under high rates of shear, these two materials “shear jam” — and exhibit almost complete solidification. When I think about the different ways we perceive how time passes, I often think of this experiment.

A friend recently sent me a photo of a much younger me, seated in my very first office at Pitney Bowes, Inc.

Under stress, for me, time becomes an unmoving solid. The slow passage of some hours and minutes is likely due to a heightened awareness of a challenge, the pressure of delivering a result, the challenge of execution, and the emotional intensity of work.

Longer periods of time flow by like liquid. Years often feel to have passed in the blink of an eye — and cannot possibly be the mathematical sum of all the long days and sometimes frozen hours and minutes.

I had plenty of high-shear, impact-activated solidification of my days along the way, but fortunately, over the long periods, what I remember is the goodness of all the people I interacted with, and what we all did with each other and for each other to achieve our goals.

If today is a long one — made solid and unmoving by high stakes, high stress, and emotional drain — reflect and recall the laugh you had with a colleague, the team meeting that started with a joke, or the help someone offered when you needed it. I promise that in 20 years it is likely those are the only moments you will recall.