Nine Years Ago…

Nine years ago, I was celebrating the 4th of July in the Netherlands. In a mixed crowd of ex-pats, South Africans, Americans, Korean, and Dutch friends, we ate burgers and salad, lit sparklers, and someone splurged for coca-cola. Ryan was in that group, strange, isn’t it? Nine years ago. I’m not sure if I should be thinking how far away that evening seems or if I should be wondering– does my life now even resemble what I thought of life then?

Recently, I was talking with a friend about life… where we’re going… where we have been. She helped me to recognize that life (for me) has always been about living in the step that leads to the next step- there has generally been a next step (or two). Sure there have been happy diversions along the way, but generally speaking, I have been a planner. Clearly one does thing X to reach Y to reach goal Z… And yet, this friend helped me wrap my mind around the concept that X and Y change us. Maybe one thing does lead to another, but some of the experiences cause a distinct change in direction, sometimes we do thing X because we think it will lead to Y but instead it leads to H or 6 or * or not. So I must be open to now, recognizing that the discoveries made along the way help shape the nexts; and that there is not always a clear next just like there is not way I would have predicted, nine years ago, what would happen in the years that have followed.

And so, as we sat down to our homemade pizza topped with fresh veggies dinner on July 4, 2010, we remembered and we compared. Ryan asked if I would have predicted this for nine years later. And I would not have done so. Good thing too, because my imagination can be lousy.

six golden years

you have to keep growing

Sometimes I buy plantings on a whim.  Sometimes I feel sorry for the ones that look lonely.  Sometimes the little cards make me think about how much I like that certain fruit or vegetable.  One rainy day in early spring, some three years ago, a grape plant came into our lives in such a way.  Ryan thought of his grandfather’s grape juice…we recalled grapes off the vine during our honeymoon in New Zealand… I thought about cutting up grape bits for a child…and this plant looked so lonely for the ground…  We didn’t read about how to prune the plant or how we wouldn’t see grapes for some years… we just bought it and planted it in the sort of rocky, somewhat sandy soil of the planter Ryan built.  In the first years,  we had grape vines shooting everywhere, but no grapes.  That is, until this year.  After I told Riana about this, I found her in the planter, talking to the grapes-to-be, telling them (as she tells us) that you have to keep growing.  I love it when children say things that are both very true and more sage than they realize.

Obviously, there are many “insights” that I could glean from this. In fact, I have been thinking on them over the past few days. Like many things though, the insight is yours for the taking. What do you glean?

Rolling Down Daisies

We returned from the bad karma camping trip around 1am.  Not wanting our weekend away to end, not wanting Riana to think it was her fault that we left, and most of all wanting to be outside, we opted for a day at the arboretum.  Plus, I really wasn’t ready to face the laundry or cleaning just yet.  The air smells sweeter thanks to the carefully planned trees and flowers.  While the grass may not be greener, I swear that it’s softer.  Most of all, Riana runs and roams free of broken glass, traffic, or any of the other things that might otherwise slow her down.  Rolling down a hill covered in little flowers?  That’s the speed for today.

Rolling down the hill…smelling the air…finding little treasures…toes tickled in fine grass…That’s the speed for today.