But it's never too early to get excited about something fun. Right? One of the things I need to be happy is something to look forward to. I love spontaneous, spur of the moment things, too. But anticipation is a wonderful thing. I look forward a lot. Even when I reflect on the past, it is with the idea of learning from it for the future.
Time is a funny thing. Our perception of it. How it drags when we are bored and unhappy. How it seems to fly right by when we are having a good time. When I was a child, adults would say how fast time goes by. I didn't get it. That is because I had only been on this planet a short time. For example, the six months until my holiday will go by quite quickly because six months to the 54-year-old me is quite a smaller fraction of the time I've been alive than it was when I was a child.
One of the things I am learning to do is to be present in the moment. A few years ago when my older son got married, I had the fun of helping him and his wife-to-be plan their wedding and honeymoon. His dad and I were blessed to have the money to pay for it, and it was our pleasure to do so. We set it all up so that everything would be taken care of on the day of the wedding, so I would have nothing to do but be there. We had a professional photographer, and disposable cameras sitting on the tables at the reception, and many guests used the cameras in their phones. I didn't take any pictures at all. Taking pictures distracts me and detracts from my enjoyment of what is going on. A friend who is a talented photographer (good enough to be a professional) says taking pictures actually heightens her appreciation of what is going on. It doesn't work that way for me. I enjoyed the day, and I was completely "there." There was no past, no future; just that day.
It started me on my journey of learning to enjoy and savor the present. It is an ongoing process; something that I get better at as I practice it. And while a child getting married is a huge moment, not one that happens often, each and every day is important. Right? The knowledge that time does indeed go by quickly causes me to want to enjoy today. This moment. Now. It's something I will never get back, and to tell you the truth, there are times in my life I feel like I wasted.
A few weeks ago, I drove some friends to the train station in our town. I wasn't going to be their driver, then all of a sudden I was. It wasn't planned, but I was around and happy to do it for them. It just so happened that I dropped them off right before sunset, and the train station is very close to the beach, so I buzzed over and said hello to the Pacific Ocean. I stood with others, silently, and watched the sun go down. A beautiful sight, and one that I don't see as often as I could.
I smelled the salty air and watched the water ebb and flow, as I said good night to the sun. Another day. One I will never get back, but that day was one well spent, if for no other reason than the fact that I watched the sun set.
Sometimes life is so simple. Right? Or maybe all the time it's simple, and I just don't see it.
Susan
"Time and Tide" written by Barbara Trzetrzelewska and Danny White
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