THERE’S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

AND NO PRESENT LIKE TIME

As someone raised by both her grandmother and great-grandmother, I learned early to appreciate the elderly. So, when my girls were young, I had them play piano at nursing homes. I wanted them to see what it’s like to get really old and to understand that when you can no longer take care of yourself, strangers do it. At first, they were intimidated but eventually, they enjoyed making the old folks smile.

While those experiences had a sobering effect on them, it didn’t last long, and that’s probably a good thing. Why dwell on one’s demise before one reaches the brink of all possibility? As adults now, their lives are mostly ahead of them. They are presently navigating all those crazy, winding chapters after, “The Preface.”

We often forget that all of Life’s chapters carry equal importance. A life builds on itself over time. How can you comprehend Chapter 27 if you haven’t read Chapter 8? And while our stories end at the Conclusion, every chapter before played a crucial, integral part. One was not more important than any other.

I cherished my children from the moment they began forming inside of me. I marveled over their first words, held my breath as they took their first steps, dried their tears, and held them close. Someday, though, someone else will hear their last words, watch their final steps, dry their tears and hopefully, hold them close. But I won’t be here. I have done the math.

When I was 16, my grandmother taught me how to drive. She was so sharp and spot-on. But when I turned 40, I was putting her in diapers. How fast we fade. Our lives are a constant and continual balancing of opposing forces. So, until we run out of words and the breath that carries them, we must embrace the page we’re on. When a light like Dolly’s goes out, we, realize that we, too, shall pass.

This morning, my oldest asked me what I was ‘looking forward to.’ Perhaps she thought I’d say, “Going to Europe next week.” Instead, I replied, “I’m just happy being with you.” And I was. The fleetingness of time is not on her radar yet. By the time it is, I’ll be long gone. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung said, “Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life.” And it is SO full, isn’t it?