The Wave

​Ah, it is raining again. It always seems to open a portal of creativity for me. There is just something so calming yet mysterious about a summer rain. Okay, so it is officially still spring, but June has always been a summer month to me. Vacations have started, traffic is lighter, kids on bicycles roam the streets, and the smell of a barbeque grill seems always in the air. But before long it will be hotter than Hades and the leaves on the trees will bid farewell. Time – it is inconceivably fleeting anymore.
 
My grandmother used to tell me that time would fly by the older I got, and I would just grin at her. She had such insight and wisdom and could make you laugh with little effort. Even through sickness and loss, there was no doubt that she loved life. Because my father had died so young, I once asked her what it was like to be old. She was 84 at the time, and I can still see her head tilted to the right in serious thought. She would squint her eyes, lips pursed, as she rested her chin on her hand in quiet repose. After intense thought, and several dramatic head tilts, she declared without hesitation, “Well, sweetheart, I just don’t know. You’ll have to ask someone who is old.” What an inspiration she was. How could you ever forget those wise words?
 
So yes, time has become a virtual kaleidoscope for me. Do you remember those toys we had as kids? You could look through one end, turn the tube, and the crystals would create endless geometrical designs in brilliant colors. You never saw the same design twice and could be mesmerized for hours. Isn’t that the perfect definition of life? In our own unique tunnel in the universe, while our scenery remains the same, our experiences are everchanging. Some days it seems my kaleidoscope of a life is spinning out of control.
 
I find humor in the silliest things anymore. While I am prescribed minimal medications, I still bought a one-week pill dispenser so that staying on track was not left completely to my aging memory. I fill this thing every Sunday and leave the lid to each day open once I have taken my vitamins and meds. Watching this case empty is like watching “The Wave” in a huge stadium. You watch everyone standing and waving and think it will never get back around to you, and then suddenly it is your turn to stand and “wave” again. If you are not paying attention, you miss it. The weeks are flying by so fast anymore that the lids open and close so quickly that just as fast as I fill it, it is empty again. Watching a pill box “wave” at you may not be the best analogy to explain the passage of time, but it is a visual truth. Life is always changing. That is how we know we are alive.
 
Who, at least once in your life, has not thought how fun it would be to live forever? While watching the newest episodes of “Lucifer” this week, one character was offered a ring that if worn forever would make her immortal. The brilliant writers had this character declare that she did not want to be immortal because “Mortality makes you appreciate life.” Wow. Every once in a while, even the most outrageous of television fare delivers a gem of a message. You just have to listen – all the time, everywhere.
 
So, make it a good week everyone! Allow your innermost kaleidoscope to dazzle you with all the brilliance of the universe. Program your brain to capture every extraordinary element of wonder that life drops in your vision. And if for some reason one of those elements is not exceptional, kick it to the curb and move on. Do not let one grain of sand in your hourglass render any of the precious few left insignificant. You might miss the biggest “wave” ever. Ah, but that is fodder for yet another rant.
​

Share your thoughts!  Click the word Comments below and tell me what you think!
​