Cover Photo: Golden-hour train platform Photographer: Lukas Budimaier
“Paying trifold fare for the time I spared, Chasing hours that never cared. I bought convenience, lost the grace, Of living slow, of keeping pace. What’s saved in time, I pay in wear — The hidden cost of being "there".
We spend our days trying to get somewhere — faster, sooner, now. We call it efficiency, but often it feels more like a transaction: giving something up to gain a few extra moments.
The word fare here is metaphorical — not just the cost of a journey, but the price we pay for the pace we keep.
The “Trifold Fare” speaks of three quiet exchanges we make in pursuit of speed:
- 💸 The money we trade for convenience
- 🔋 The energy we exhaust to stay ahead
- 🕊 The presence we lose while rushing through what matters most
Each of these is a small payment toward the illusion of saving time — a fare collected silently, yet consistently. Perhaps saving time isn’t about doing more, but about being more — more aware, more still, more alive. We don’t truly save time; we simply spend it differently. And sometimes, the faster the journey, the greater the fare.
💭 Final Thought
Next time you rush to save a few seconds — ask yourself: what are you really paying for them?
#Reflection #Mindfulness #Poetry #Time