by Kara L.C. Jones
Photo left: Copyright 2008 by Hawk Jones/Kotagraph, The Wedding Dress
We headed out a few weeks ago for a mini-marathon trip. One of our stops was back East for my goddaughter's wedding. Hawk did the photography for everything: engagement, rehearsal, ceremony, family, reception. It was amazing to be a part of their big event in this way. To play the role of conscious witness capturing images while the days whizzed by so very quickly.
As we met up with various friends and family members, I heard myself talking with cousins I haven't seen for years and years. People who've never met my husband ever. I was telling them we'd been married for 10 years. One of my cousins mentioned she'd been married 23 years. The dj played an anniversary dance asking people who'd been married 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40+ years to come on the floor and do a slow jig. It was amazing to see how quickly time passes.
To see my eldest goddaughter at the start of her marriage. To see my younger goddaughter in the middle of her college days. And then to see how fast 10 years of marriage have passed in my own life. To realize 10 years have passed since your birth and death, Kota.
It goes so fast. Capturing images, making art, writing. These are all parts of playing witness to my own life. I was honored to play a small part of doing that for my goddaughter. And it made me realize that all my own, Capricorn-like tendencies toward reviewing my trunk of journals or stacks of artwork are all about trying to chart this Journey. Trying to make sense of time that flies too fast. It isn't that I want to live in the past. It is that the present moment goes so fast I sometimes need more time to integrate what has happened.
As I'm facing re-entry back here upon our return from the mini-marathon, I find I need more time. More time for everything. More time to integrate what happened on the trip. More time to be present each day. More time going slow. More time to create and be. More time for music.
I've said it before, but it is worth repeating.
I don't necessarily mean that I need Earth days to expand to 72 hours -- though that would be nice. I do mean that I need more -- more authentic, more present. I want more meaningful work. I want more days full of consciousness. I want more days in the pool. :)
What can I say? Weddings do this to me. I can't stop reflecting...
I can't stop missing you.
