Blog 148 – 10.27.15

Many years ago I read a wonderfully written short article with the above title. There are some lines from a favorite Indigo Girls’ song that I quote often that say:

“We’re in an evolution
I have heard it said.
Everyone’s so busy now
But do we move ahead
Planets hurling, atoms splitting
And a sweater for your love
You sit there knitting.”

My dear and departed daughter Emily sent me that song and one of my most wonderful memories of time spent with her was on a drive, just the two of us, from Houston, Texas where she was visiting to Slidell, Louisiana to drop off a rental car I had rented there because my new (at least new to me) Jeep Wrangler had blown a spark plug on a trip to Tennessee that my dear and still with us son and I had made to a family reunion the week before Emily came to visit.

Emily and I talked and while I was driving and to occupy herself she knitted not a sweater, but a scarf for me. It was a beautiful scarf and very warm. I wore it on a very cold work assignment in Wyoming after she passed and later gave it to someone who knew and loved Emily as much as I. I hope when she reads this that the line from the song, “And a sweater for your love you sit there knitting” will come to have a special meaning for her too.”

The most special and meaningful moments in our lives take time. We are pressed for time most of the time, stressed almost to the breaking point. Clocks ticking, planets hurling, atoms splitting, alarms blaring, always somewhere to be, something important to do, and always something else demanding attention. Not enough time to just “be.” The tyranny of the urgent would cheat us out of the truly important moments. A dad or mother with their son or daughter. Those are the times of our lives. A quality evening alone with a loved one wasting time.
Another song Emily sent me was Wasting Time With You. I will share a few lines with you:

“I don’t want to want to be a writer
With my thoughts out on the page.
(Actually I do want to be a writer)
I don’t want to be a an actor
Always on the stage.

A dream it’s true
But I’d see it through.
Just want to be
Wasting time with you.

I don’t want to be a climber
Heading to the top.
I don’t want be anything
That I don’t know when to stop.

A dream it’s true
But I’d see it through.
Just want to be
Wasting time with you.”

Sadly we are driven to “do” so many things when “being” is so much more rewarding and satisfying to the soul. Beyond the tyranny of the urgent is the calm peaceful rest of just relaxing into the moments of our lives. Practice stilling your mind and emotions and just enjoying the eternal now. On most grave stones there are two dates with a dash in between. Life is meant to be more than a dash. The Human Experience is more than a Race.

Your friend and fellow traveler, taking time to just enjoy the journey,
David White