Those who know me well may understand me when I say that my life has felt like a never-ending Super Mario video game sequence of obstacles lately. As soon as I address one, another one pops up stage right. When I'm really focused at work, I get sideswipped by a decrepit social life. When I make seeing friends and family a priority, my house falls apart and the cheese starts to mold in the refrigerator and the floor in my entry starts to resemble a pine forest from all the pine needles I track in. I always feel like I am doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, or perhaps more generally, that I simply don't have enough time. Then I recall my time in college (especially grad. school) when sleep became an expendable luxury and I lived active and fulfilling 20+ hour days. Where has my fitness gone? Why, as Paul Simon wonders, is life so hard and why am I so soft in the middle now?
. . .
The most amazing thing happened last night. I got home late from doing dinner with my mom and needed to go straight to bed. But instead I put on a little mellow music, made some tea and opened a bag of chocolate digestives (British cookies for dipping, not some weird remedy for the bowels). As I got settled in my one comfy chair kept since grad. school, I suddenly was overcome with a desire to talk to an old friend. She lives in Boston now and it was 1am her time so I opted for e-mail instead. We had lost touch -- something I doubt either of us ever thought would or could happen -- and I didn't even know if she still used the address I had. It didn't matter. I was in a zone and didn't take time to be preoccupied with practical concerns such as these.
I wrote intently for perhaps 15 mintues, not conscious of what I was writing. My fingers were conducting their own symphony on the keyboard of my wireless notebook. And like a good piece of music, the letter naturally came to a close and I knew that I had done the right thing.
This morning I was floored to see a reply in my inbox that began this way:
"Thanks for the great email - it is *so* good to hear from you. And we must be psychic or something - just yesterday (the day you emailed me) I was thinking about you...."
Life is an amazing gift. Share it. Reconnect with someone today. You will be glad you did.