Day 4,024

Growth:

“There are so many kinds of time. The time by which we measure our lives. Months and years. Or the big time, the time that raises mountains and makes stars. Or all the things that happen between one heartbeat and the next. It’s hard to live in all those kinds of time. Easy to forget that you live in all of them.”

Robert Chales Wilson, Spin

Throughout the “sweatshirt book” I talked about yesterday (Spin by Robert Charles Wilson) there are several themes interplaying all at once. Connections to people. The way we view life and meaning. The shifting of perspectives. One of my favorites is the the various sizes and weights of time in our lives.

The quote above really encapsulates the concept throughout the book so well. Wilson does a masterful job of shifting between each of those types of time in the story, helping us feel the conflict as we shift uncomfortably from one angle to the other.

What sat with me today was how often I can catch myself in one mode and completely miss another, forgetting that the others exist while I’m hyper focused in viewing time from one perspective. I’d love to find a way to help keep this quote in front of me with regularity help me remember to choose the appropriate frame of reference.

Appreciation:

Very grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my some of my best friends AND Dominic all at the same time today! It was a busy time, loading and unloading the UHaul for a couple of moves in the same day, but so much fun and laughter throughout. So often I’m used to spending time with either my friends OR my family, this was fantastic to blend the two together and enjoy the time. The jokes were all combined, there were a few times when someone was about to hold back and I assured them it was totally okay to let ‘er rip and we all ended up having a blast! I’m sure I’ll be a bit sore from the moving and lifting and whatnot, but that is such a small price to pay for the opportunity to create new memories while also sharing old ones together.

Presence:

Quiet time on a long early morning drive. Fun conversation with Dominic as I pick him up to help friends move. Spending time combining the laughs and jokes shared with my lifelong friends with the laughs and jokes shared with Dominic. Taking a quiet moment to create space to share a moment of emotion with a friend going through difficulty. Enjoying the excitement of friends as they move into new homes. Hearing about Gavin’s first rugby matches and all the fun he had via text messages (can’t wait to hear more about it tomorrow on our family FaceTime). Dinner with Becky on the deck with a relaxing walk afterwards. Taking time to jot down notes from books I’ve recently read. All these moments, so much joy!

Thanks!!!