Synchronicity

 

Note: This picture and poem don’t really have anything to do with synchronicity. Also, I struggled with this subject and am not sure I “got” it but thought I would share it anyway.

            What is synchronicity? I have heard the word, but never really thought about its meaning, or if it was much of a factor in my life until it was a subject suggested by a friend in a writers group. I looked it up numerous times, discussed it with friends and spent lots of time considering where it fit in my life.

            I first thought of synchronicity as it might be seen around me. The way a flock of birds rise as one from treetops forming a black swirling cloud headed first one way then suddenly turning in unison to soar in another direction in perfect synchronicity. Next I thought about dancers, like the Rockettes all kicking as one in a dance routine. Then I considered a less formal way to see synchronicity in daily life. Driving down the highway for any distance you might notice that there are other drivers taking part in an impromptu ballet of passing each other, falling back, then passing each other again, changing positions for miles all heading in the same direction and sometimes stuck in a traffic jam together. Many times this happens for commuters who each leave their home at the same time every day to form a kind of team of strangers all headed in the same direction.  You might even count on these teammates to let you know by their presence that you’re running right on schedule.

            Finally I considered where I could identify synchronicity in a more personal way.  Sometimes it is the sale on an item I need to purchase which saves me money, such as soap or coffee. There’s the synchronous way holiday meals come together as well as the ensuing clean up, my sister-in-law, daughter and niece each moving in harmony to make things nice for all.  By far my favorite bit of synchronicity is when I am thinking about a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while and later that day she contacts me. It is as if we are somehow on the same wavelength.

            Synchronicity is all around us, and one of life’s wonders. I never really thought much about it, but now I look for it. Somehow I am reassured to realize that we are all connected in some harmonious way.

For Love

 Here we are already in February, the month when we celebrate love, and time is flying by because life is full of things to do, places to go and people to see. It is mind boggling when I take a moment to reflect and look at the year just past with the perspective that the passage of time allows. We have been without our sweet princess for a little over a year now. We still miss her every single day. When I think about everything we did to make sure she had as good a life as possible I don’t know how we did it sometimes. There were hard things to do, everything from running from doctor to doctor, fighting with insurance to get the things she needed to remain healthy and participate as fully as possible in life to figuring out what she was trying to tell us in her non verbal unique way. There were also wonderful things, like seeing her joy at bubbles floating by outside on a sunny summer day, her happiness at watching her favorite cartoon and how she enjoyed being at a party surrounded by friends. I wonder sometimes how we did it, but the answer that comes to me that we did it all for love. She was loved in this world. When there is great love there is great determination to make things joyful and as comfortable as possible for those important to us. Love is a great motivator, it can spur us to work through difficult things, compromise, and push through obstacles once thought to be insurmountable; in the end we can look back and see that we not only survived, we thrived. We did it all for love.

Elusive Celestial Events

 This year there have been celestial events seemingly in abundance. The tv meteorologists and social media have been busy letting us know when and where we can witness these amazing feats of nature. It started with all the hype about the solar eclipse in April. There have been super moons, something I never heard of when I was a kid, meteor showers, a comet, and of course the most spectacular northern lights.  I have witnessed only the eclipse and the super moon which seems to happen every few months when we are told the moon will be closer than it will be for X number of years. Seems pretty frequent to me, but then I’m not keeping track. So, when they began talking about how those of us south of the usual aurora borealis zone would be able to see them for several nights my husband and I were excited! We went outside and looked, but never saw them, in spite of seemingly everyone around us and in our town was posting pictures taken from their back yards of the beautiful light show with time stamps that showed we were outside looking at that time. Strange but true and quite frustrating! Next up was the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet, which “Meteor Mike”, our local tv station’s meteorologist explained where in the sky and the best viewing times we could all see it, and that it was viewable for several days in the evening. Again, we were excited! Guess what?  In spite of several attempts in different locations around town we never saw it. We weren’t alone, though. There was another man trying to see it on the last night at the same place we were. It’s good knowing we weren’t the only ones disappointed—misery loves company! Most recently it was the Orionid meteor shower. Once again, Meteor Mike explained where in the sky and when to see the event. Once again, we didn’t witness the event in spite of several attempts . There are meteor showers throughout the year so there’s a decent chance we might get to witness one at some point. Way back in the 1980’s (so long ago! lol) when Haley’s comet was viewable my husband and I went to the Jersey shore and set an alarm for 3:00 am, left our hotel and went onto the beach to view the once in a lifetime event through binoculars. It was a little unnerving being on the beach in total darkness listening to the waves but not seeing them, but we were young and adventurous and happy we were able to experience the comet hurtling through space. I think we’ll continue to try and witness the celestial events as they come to our area, and hopefully they won’t be so elusive.

                                                   Me viewing the eclipse in April, in my official eclipse viewing glasses.

                                                    The sky as the eclipse was happening. Pretty cool!

Braving the Rain

 “It’s raining, I don’t want to go, “ I told my husband. He replied, somewhat absently, “I don’t blame you,” as he scrolled through something on his phone. I took another sip of my coffee and stared out the window at the pouring rain and reflected on how often I don’t want to go places lately, and especially in the rain. I go anyway as these are things I want to do, have agreed to do with friends and relatives, and I know I will be glad to be doing whatever it is which generally involves food or at least coffee. Between the coffee and reminding myself that I would enjoy myself I found the motivation to get myself ready and go on my way.

As I drove through the rain to the mall, which was the day’s destination, I reflected how my whole life I have gone out in the rain and survived, it was not detrimental in any way to my health and wellbeing.  When I was a young child I walked to and from school and friends’ houses in the rain. All I needed was a raincoat, umbrella and perhaps galoshes or rubber shoe covers; although in my teen years sneakers were enough because one must be “cool” in the teen years. As a young child my brothers and I donned our bathing suits and ran around outside splashing in puddles on rainy summer days. In high school I was in the marching band and we marched in parades and attended football games in the rain getting soaked, but we had a lot of fun and didn’t really care that it was raining. In college I trudged across campus in the rain to attend classes and visit friends in other dorms. All my adult life I drove to work, doctor appointments, and to see family and friends in the rain, although I came to dislike going out in the rain; but it didn’t stop me and I did it without a second thought donning raincoat and umbrella for protection. Now that I’m retired I avoid going out in the rain, I find it unpleasant. I used to enjoy the sound the rain made hitting the umbrella, I used to go out for a walk in the rain. I guess as we age we change a bit and no longer enjoy some of the things we used to. Such is life.

I had a nice time at the mall, we walked and talked a little and had a leisurely lunch. My companion forgave me for my rotten mood and by the time we parted ways I was feeling much better. It was misty as I drove home, but I’m glad I braved the weather that I have survived my whole life to enjoy some time with someone I love.

Hot Summer Nights

 Recently we spent an evening with friends on their boat, motoring around the lake, dining at a lakeside restaurant and ending the evening eating cookies and brownies while watching fireworks and talking.  We were with the same group on Memorial Day weekend at another couple’s house talking and laughing over good food on their deck and later around the kitchen table sharing treats and stories. It got me to remembering the hot summer nights of my younger adult/late teenage years spending time with a group of friends talking and laughing, especially ones in my early twenties when I was working the graveyard shift at a 24 hour donut shop chain.

It was the early 1980’s, a time when there weren’t many places open all night in our rural area, and convenience stores were few and far between. Summer nights were especially lively. There were plenty of bars and they closed around 2:00 a.m. which is when my donut shop got a rush of drunken, mostly happy customers looking to sober up a bit over coffee and donuts. There were some locals who walked down to the shop after the local go-go bar closed, I believe they were also high. One night they ordered some chicken noodle soup and giggled as they poured some noodles on each other’s hands. They were always entertaining and kept to themselves. They didn’t make too much of a mess so we didn’t pay too much attention to them—they were harmless. There were times, though when a more rowdy crowd rolled in and we had to keep an eye on them in case we needed to call the police to handle them, at which time it seemed like every police car from our town, neighboring towns and the state police showed up. There was one hot summer night, I think it was a Saturday night that we were especially busy once the area bars closed. The counter seats were all taken, and a couple groups were hanging out in the parking lot goofing around, laughing, and eating donuts. It was noisy inside and hot because of course the air conditioning couldn’t keep up with the sticky humid air. A small group of guys and girls came in, one of the girls ordered a hot tea and went on to the ladies room while the rest of her group waited for their orders to be filled. Upon exiting the ladies room the girl grabbed her paper cup of tea from the counter, took the lid off, dumped the scalding hot brew down the back of another girl in the group and walked out. Mayhem ensued with screaming and yelling, people rushing outside to the parking lot, and fists flying. My coworker rushed to the phone and called the local police, (this was before 911 was in place), and within minutes the parking lot held at least 8 police cars from our town, the state police, and neighboring towns. It was pretty wild. I don’t remember how many if anyone was arrested, but the crowd dispersed and the quiet of the wee hours on a summer Saturday night settled in. I will probably never forget that night, it was so crazy.

Gathering with friends on a hot summer night is probably one of life’s greatest pleasures, sharing memories and making new ones. I’m fortunate to have many such nights to remember when I’m feeling nostalgic.