The dog days are upon us which means summer is now officially in its third trimester. Wow. What happened to July? June went on and on and on, but then July? Poof. Gone in a puff of smoke. People always say that time speeds up as we grow older, but what I find more true is that time is less regular, less predictable, and a lot more wonky than it used to be.
As a younger woman my life was defined by many metronomic rhythms, like my monthly cycle, the 9-5 lifestyle and such. In the same way that the stitched squares of a quilt keep all the fluffy filler from clumping together in one corner, perhaps those rhythms served as chronological tick marks, helping me keep a better handle on the minute and second hands, the calendar, and so forth.
Here in later life, there is no recognizable time quanta. I keep track of the phase of the moon and know the day of the week as well as the date ... well, almost always. But my perception of the passing minutes, hours and weeks is all over the place.
Fitting then, that I've spent so much time recently in the company of very old friends, as well as in the pause between breaths, a place we used to call "between the worlds." And, too, I've been gazing, squinting, shading my eyes, trying to perceive the horizon of time, staring hard into the unshaped future, as if it were possible to see ahead, wondering, wondering: what next?
Happy weekend, y'all. Salaam and Shalom.
The class cups were a housewarming gift. They are my favorite things ever.
17 comments:
ever??? how do you decide?
Couldn't agree with you more. June was a very long and difficult month for me but July - where in the world has it gone? If it weren't for my calendar, with all its scribbles, I seriously couldn't tell you what I've done this month. I usually wish for summer to go by quickly (Phoenix is brutal) but I'm hoping for a slow August for some reason.
How do I decide? What a great question.
July didn't pass me by as I was busy on my spiritual journey combined with a nasty case of heat stroke. But I'm over that now and looking forward to those dog days of summer.
yeah. love that place "between the worlds". and the comment about clumpyless quilts. and no recognizable time quanta.
what if we can stretch time ourselves? wouldn't that be a concept......?! maybe one of the mysteries of growing older is that time becomes malleable in our minds♡
always love your posts - much food for thought - so have become an official follower of your blog today.
have a lovely weekend xoxo
A lovely reminder about the many markers of our life, the many rhythms of our passions. We are aware of different things at different ages. In our youth, we are constantly drawn to discovering that true relationship that will fulfill all of our dreams. IN our old age, we are drawn to savoring the relationships we have managed to cultivate.
Rosaria you are so smart. Yes!
And Amanda, thank you. The feeling is totally mutual. xx
I think we will always figure out ways to mark time. For me it might be making Jake's dogfood every two weeks or getting a massage every 3 weeks or eating an egg for breakfast every other day. Nobody ever said old age was exciting!
I'm just as happy to leave the hormonal rhythms behind.
One of the most interesting tidbits I took back from Chautauqua this year came from a piano master class, where renowned pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk said that one of the most important part of playing is what happens between the notes. That's something to think about.
That picture of the damp glasses (against that pale cool green) is refreshing! So mint julep-ish.
Ah, time. Yes July has sped by. One of the things that I love about being in my third year of blogging is watching the seasons go round and round with my friends all over the world.
p.s. My brother is moving to the D.C. area at the end of the summer!
This summer has passed by quickly, but it usually does not for me because I don't like the hot weather! We've had a reprieve this summer so life is good. Other than that time goes by too quickly. Once a person reaches the autumn of their years (or close to it; or a loved one is there) time becomes even more precious. Of course there is no guarantee about ones life span. Ah well.
The photo of the sunflowers at the Smithsonian (?) is beautiful & I'm happy you are enjoying your house-warming gifts!
Reya~ What a lovely post! I was thinking about you this morning as I walked downtown Indy. I often find myself thinking of you when I see a truly beautiful reflection and I am grateful that I found you & your blog & how you taught me to see into the reflections, to see a different view. Anyway, today was splendid Summer weather. I had a rough go midday, and a 15 minute walk warmed my spirit on this almost final day of July, thinking as well where did July go?
Have a lovely weekend and keep on keeping us posted!
I agree wholeheartedly with Barbara,who learned the importance of that space 'between the notes.'
My daughter was taught the same thing by the great ballet masters in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 'space between the steps' is as important as the steps themselves.
Of course, we're talking about mastery of something, and becoming an artist rather than simply a practioner of something.
And so, to attain mastery and artistry of our lives, we should ALL learn to appreciate and focus on the space between the worlds.
Yet another lesson from you, Reya. Thank you so much for your considerable gifts! You are so very wise and generous.
Dahlink, you have epic hair...and you exude yummy-ness...
I think my most favorite thing is that you were "flummoxed!" bahaha!
Enjoy the ride and don't forget to take a moment or two to really receive the compliment and let it sink in. It's a gift.
xoxox Jezebel
Jo you are my guru.
Jez! So great to see you here. Are you enjoying your new/used lawnmower?
Beautiful cups, and beautiful photo, as always!
Hmmm... I wonder if traveling between the worlds more often kind of messes with our perceptions of "reality," of measures and intervals...? Hmmmm...
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