The Circle(s) of Life

After reflecting on my last blog, I found myself thinking about those I’ve known over the years who I seem to have “lost touch” with. You know what I mean. You have people like that in (or, more appropriately, “out of”) your life.

With time seeming to pass faster and faster as we get older, many people you’ve once had relationships with seem to have slipped away with the sand of the hourglass. But that’s normal.

Over the years we have grown into lives. And so have those people. Unfortunately, many times the lives grown are in different gardens. Work. Church. Social groups. In many different ways, we have developed different circles. Like a Venn diagram, it is where those different circles overlap that we meet. And, like a Venn diagram, the portions where meeting does not take place is greater.

And that is where we find ourselves with distant friends.

My suggestion then, is to focus on those closest to you now; where the overlaps are the greatest.

Of those in my life, the one that is closest to me brings me the greatest joy: my wife.

There is no one I’d rather travel the hourglass sands with than Lisa.

I’m going to let you into one of those special things about her that thrill me. As a matter of fact, it is this incident that was the impetus for this particular post.

We went to a Halloween party over a friend’s house last night. It’s an annual event that has taken place over the last 26 years. It’s always a lot of fun. One of the folks brings a karaoke system and sets up in the basement. Over the course of the evening people go down to join in. No one uses a microphone. People just get up in the group and sing along.

Towards the end of the evening, Lisa and I headed down to the basement. Understand: my wife does not sing publicly. That’s not her thing. I have no problem with doing that. I’m no singer. It’s just that it takes an awful lot for me to embarrass myself.

At one point I got to watch Lisa sitting on the couch singing along with one of the songs. And there was nothing better to me than to watch her smiling face as she just let it all hang out. It’s one of those rare moments that sometimes happens at home with the stereo on that I get to soak in - and watch the sands stand still.

And that’s what I mean. It’s those moments of pure joy that make you stop and actively acknowledge the presence of someone in the center of your circle.

So, take a moment to think about those closest to you. Reach out to them before the circles stop intersecting.

Don’t let living get in the way of living.

© Emittravel 2017