Time Lapse

Friday, January 20, 2023

Recently, in our email exchange, an old acquaintance described an emotional part of her past as having “lasted for a minute [and then disappearing]”. That struck me, because a key learning in my life has been the concept of “lasting a moment”.

Now in my senior years and reflecting back, I recall relationships and events that while happening (and for long afterward) felt incredibly important. Each major episode consumed lots of energy, commitment, and involvement. Took up much time! My dreams, being, and goals were influenced by caring and striving. Regardless of whether an episode became a personal win or loss, each held significant learnings that helped to shape me.

In memory now, each seems to have happened in only a moment of time. Mentally, I can conjure up old calendars and identify an approximate amount of time that an important event covered. As each event ended, sometimes I thought “here, too, my life could end”, but ahead were new adventures.

I often succeeded, I often failed. Today, after cycling through a lifetime of mixed delight and trauma, I feel okay with the individual who evolved. I’ve learned we can have hopes for our futures but can’t predict what might really happen. We adapt, roll with the punches, and later reflect on everything that happened.

In retrospect, realizing that each life event seems to have occurred in one minute of the past amazes me. Moreover, finding the past is easy to summarize is calming.

Dear Friends: You couldn’t pay me enough to be at an earlier age again. Diana