Did you know you’re always half a second behind reality?

That the “now” you’re experiencing already happened, and your brain is still catching you up?

Neuroscience tells us two things that sound almost like science fiction:

* It takes your brain about .5 seconds to process sensory input and fully register what’s happening.

* Your body actually starts reacting .5 seconds before you consciously decide to do something.

That means when you touch something hot and pull your hand back, or when you “just know” the right move to make, it isn’t your conscious self making the call. Your body already acted.

So in a way, our conscious selves are remembering the future. Our bodies move first, our minds narrate after, and we tell ourselves the story of “I decided.”

Why does this matter?

Because your instincts aren’t random. They’re real, practiced, embodied intelligence. The gut feeling that arrives “out of nowhere” is your nervous system moving ahead of you. The decision that feels like magic may actually be your body remembering what it already set in motion.

Half a second late. Half a second early.

That’s the dance of being human — a little behind, a little ahead, and always narrating the mystery in between.

✨ In today’s episode of Celestial Crumbs, I dive into this hidden lag, why it changes the way we see free will, and how it makes our intuition feel almost supernatural.

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