The Gift of Self

I had a delightful afternoon.  This was my last recuperation day, and a dear friend, whom I haven't visited for a while, came to visit and to encourage my healing.  We had a simple soup and bread...and chocolate...lunch. Then we talked and talked...about all manner of things past, present, and future.  We were relaxed, and until we felt rush hour encroaching at the end of the afternoon, we existed in a wonderful timeless space. Ah!

Unlike the typical rush to fit a quick visit in before the next appointment that seems to run much of my life, when she left, I felt happy and satisfied. What a rare and wonderful gift she had given me: a gift of herself.  I like to think I carve out special times for these suspended times of connection with friends, like half-day into the evening play dates with one friend a couple times during pool season. But, I felt so rich today that I think I will do this more often. 

It is such a precious thing to be able to give to another while receiving from that person...and having fun, too.  Somehow I think we did this more when we were younger, or maybe the world wasn't spinning quite so fast when we were younger.  I do recall the ends of afternoons of yard work, which inevitably ended with several neighbors convening on someone's porch for popcorn, chips, and libation.  There was a timelessness about those moments as well.  The thing about those times is that I remember them in much more detail than finely planned and orchestrated parties and dinners that involved the same people.

In the slow-motion of recovery, it is easy to commit to intentionally making more of these times. When the world begins spinning faster, I fear that time will slip by too quickly.  Yet, if I do not commit to doing so, I risk losing something way more important that whatever else I would have done when I was racing through life.  Who knows? Maybe making time for these special moments will slow time as well as quality of life.  I hope so.