Savoring Routine

I spent last weekend at my cabin with two dear friends and a dog.  A woman I’ve known for 25 years flew in from out of state, a visit we’d been anticipating for months.  The three of us walked, talked, meditated, wrote, read, cooked, gazed at the lake, and played yahtzee. It was a wonderfully renewing time.

What occurred to me today is that just as this long-awaited event was now over, so too would all the other trips and major events I have planned this year.  Each one will have a morning after when I reflect on what’s happened. Every eagerly anticipated gathering, every dreaded event, each routine appointment comes to an end.

This isn’t earth shattering news, I know, but somehow today it struck me how poignant our lives are, how quickly time moves as I get older, and how important to savor whatever is before me, no matter how routine or grand. If I pay attention, I end up with moments:  a rescue dog’s growing confidence walking on bare floors, the easy way three women put together meals and clean up, the sparkle of clarity that comes from being listened to deeply.  What moments today will I keep?