When I saw the date of my last post here, I shivered with thoughts of how much time had passed since then. I thought, like so many people, about how quickly time slips past us. But as I sit here in my kitchen typing this note, inhaling the aroma of baking cookies and enjoying the smooth flowing rhythm of white twinkling lights on my Christmas tree just a yard away, I realize how much “life” and “living” has been packed into these last few months. Months BEFORE Christmas had been announced in stores.
It’s true, I haven’t posted anything here since July. I have stopped by intending to post, though. Inevitably, something would require my attention and off I’d go again. If I didn’t stop to give some deep thought to why this blog has been so quiet for so long, I’d say the days simply got away from me, time has moved faster than ever, I’m lazy, I’m void of ideas…
None of those excuses/reasons are true, however. I’ve been writing. I’ve been a second pair of eyes for my daughter’s college essays, I’ve designed digital albums for my husband’s customers, visited with friends, paid bills, cooked, cared for sick pets… and worked on Book 2 of my erotic novella trilogy which I intend to self publish in the spring.
I’ve been busy. I’ve had richness in my life. I may be moving a little slower now than when I was in my teens and twenties, but time is not moving any faster. However, more is expected of us than ever before. We read and post tweets and status updates that provide minute by minute reporting of what we’re doing and before we know it an hour has passed. Two hours… But we’re so focused on the reporting of it, that we’re not living it. At least I’m not.
It’s my desire to step back a little. To head into 2014 with a new appreciation of time’s ethereal design. It’s not meant to be captured. It’s meant to be lived – and acknowledged. It’s the foundation for memories.
2014 will be a year of doing, and of savoring every moment. If that includes tweets and status updates – or even blog posts – that’s great. As long as the moments themselves are not shrugged off, as long as the focus isn’t on the outcome but the path to it.
My husband often says something that I tend to shrug off because I’m “too busy” and “need to get there”.
“It’s the journey,” he says. “Without the journey, the destination is just more of the same.”
May your 2014 and beyond be a journey and may your destination be that much richer because of it.
Your husband is a wise man, and I applaud your commitment to the journey this coming year! May it be all you hope and more. 🙂
Thanks, Jolyse. It’s taken me a while to see it the way he does, and I still fall into that ‘gotta get there’ mode at times, but he’s right. It’s about the journey. And I’m looking forward to it this year.
What a nice post, Debbie. It does feel like 2013 was stuffed with … stuff. Here’s to re-grouping and enjoying the journey.
Stuff. It’s everywhere! Part of the journey this year will have to include cleaning up the stuff from last year. 😉
“Without the journey, the destination is just more of the same.” That’s a great outlook and it’s something that slips by us frequently. Thanks for the reminder, always need a kick int the a$$ every once in a while.
Have a wonderful, safe, and memory filled Christmas!
My pleasure, Donna. I know need the reminder often. I’m end-game focused so it’s hard for me to enjoy the stuff before the end. I’m truly hoping to learn how to do that this year. It’s just a matter of slowing down enough to soak in some of the good stuff.
You had me worried there toward the end, kinda sounding like you were making a dread New Year’s resolution. But, Amen to wise husbands for their wisdom (thought sometimes it surprises them more than us!! It is true that if you don’t appreciate the journey, live it to its fullest, the destination is more of the same – in fact, you get so stuck on the eyes-to-the-horizon that you miss the “I’ve arrived” altogether and then you reach that ‘epiphany place’ where you wonder what the hell you’ve done it for. Regardless, I’ll be there with you Debs, every step, every tear, every deep, belly laugh – yeah, lots of those! ~G~
Along the lines of what you’ve said here, Gwen, is the way the holidays came up on us. Stores pack the shelves with Christmas items at the same time they’re setting out Halloween decorations. We’re so used to seeing the stuff that by the time Christmas finally arrives, we’ve become almost numb to it and it flies by before we’ve had the chance to bask in it. It’s just more of the same. And now, Valentine decorations are already up in the stores. They’ll learn… as we do. Step back, enjoy the moments IN their moment. It’s called, “living”. 😎