Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Speed of Life

When I was really young....probably 7 or 8 years old, I remember a beloved neighbor taking me for a walk on a lovely summer afternoon. Stella was probably about 18 at the time and she frequently babysat for us. She was very blonde and pretty and we all loved her gentle nature. As we walked along that day, my hand in hers, somehow we got in to a discussion about the passage of time. I seem to remember that I asked how long it would take me to be as old as she was and her answer, "With each year that passes, the time moves faster," has stayed with me to this day. At that time I emphatically stated that it couldn't be possible, but she was oh so right. When I was that young age, I wanted time to fly, to get to the next adventure, to be an adult. Now, I spend all my time trying to wrest the speed out of my evaporating days and to stop the fast forward motion.

So the past few weeks are a prime example of the above with a rare interlude of slowing it down!

Memorial Day weekend was beautiful here and LM and I were together from Friday to Monday which was just heavenly. We were at my boss's house tending to the dogs again and that afforded us some lovely time in their light-filled beautiful space. We prepared some nice meals and took walks, each of us spent time together pursuing our own things which needed attention....LM repairing fishing equipment and I working on knitting a silk scarf to go with my "new" Eileen Fisher linen dress and jacket. Both of us finished our projects and really enjoyed being together, chatting a bit and also just enjoyed sharing silence, knowing the other was nearby. This was rare "spare" time for us and we cherished it. We took early evening rides through the village to see the hordes of tourists who have arrived for the season, and we went to various fishing spots to check for jumping fish. Many were spotted! Really fun.

Memorial Day found us hurriedly packing up, moving my things back to my house, then we set out to Truro to plant flowers at Lillian's (LM's former partner who died over a year ago) grave. It was the first time I visited the grave with him and I was apprehensive, filled with unspoken emotion, and unsure what would happen. The cemetery is about 1/2 mile into the woods on a gravel road and as we approached, I felt an immediate peace, as the woods opened into a very beautiful OLD burial ground. There were lovely trees, blooming lilacs and ancient gravestones. There was no sound except wind in the trees, not a cloud in the sky and we were totally alone in this special place. True to form, LM was very calm and collected and we planted our geraniums and begonias and said the Lord's Prayer, observing a few memories of Lillian. We quietly held hands and walked back to the car where LM turned to me and said "I hope you know how much it means for you to be here with me". I was full of tears for his loss, and for Lillian's. They had a good run for 12 years until breast cancer caught her....time passed all too fast! My only thought was to thank her for loving LM. At that point we called Lillian's sister in NJ to tell her that we had been there. She was so pleased. It was so beautiful that I didn't want to leave the peace. We were totally alone there and it felt good, time stood still for a few minutes, it seemed.

From there we set out for N. Truro to visit my friend, Barbara who is recovering well from hip replacement. She and her husband, Bert, have been married less than a year (both 77) and they give new meaning to making the most of time - they dared to grab the brass ring of love and go round once more after losing spouses, and they are so so happy. It felt good to see my longtime friend doing so well.

Next stop was the crazy wild and zany world of Provincetown. Located at the very tip of Cape Cod, it is an art colony, a very popular tourist destination, and a thriving fishing village, filled with quaint and beautiful homes and having a 1 car wide main st which is almost always teeming with people. It is a show all its own as P-Town is friendly to people of any and all sexual nature. You never know what sights you will see there. LM worked in P-Town for a few years as he was director of the Fishing Families Assistance program run by the Federal Government. We love it!! One of the architects I work with has recently opened an interior design shop, Shor, with his partner, so, as we walked along Commercial St., of course we had to stop in and see all they have done in a beautiful old building. It's fantastic, filled with very tasteful design pieces and art done by some of their friends. Before we left we had a recommendation for lunch which we thoroughly enjoyed while looking directly at Provincetown Harbor and a bay full of whitecaps due to the heavy SW winds. Very dramatic against a deep blue sky and very interesting people watching! After a little stop for one bite of homemade fudge, we meandered our way back to the car and headed back to check on the dogs, then LM left to head home, then to go fishing, AND he caught his first bluefish of the season last night at West Dennis Beach. It really was a lovely weekend. We laughed, we had some serious discussion and shared some milestone moments.
Now it is back to the breakneck speed of everyday life and I need to get myself out of the chair and into some projects which are calling my name!
Kitten Report coming Thursday!!

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