Slowdown time (and slow down, time)
Here's to a grand year.
On our last day in Maui shortly before Christmas, I stood by the window of our hotel room looking out at the beach. My heart was laden with sorrow over having to leave the island that I love. And as I saw people doing casual things along the shore – jogging, walking with a cup of coffee in hand, stopping to snap a photo on their phone – I thought about how time hits us all so differently in any given moment. In that particular moment, I began thinking about my age, how quickly Brianna was growing, how fast our trip had gone by, how many more of these trips I had left before my time here is up...yeah, my mind slipped down a long, dark hole pretty quickly. But the folks down near the beach? They showed no signs of such melancholy; they were just going about their day, unhurried. And of course they should. They weren't about to leave Maui that morning like we were. When we looked at our wrists (or phones), we saw the same time, but those digits or hands meant drastically different things for me than it did for them.
What I love about the last hours of New Year's Eve is that most of us take deliberate steps to have a specific time hit us more or less the same. The run-up to 11:59:59 looks quite different for everyone, of course. Some spend it quietly alone, some get rowdy with friends or strangers, some sit and reflect in the company of loved ones. But we all have an eye to the clock as we find our corner of the world to consider what was, what is and what is to come. We're filled with regret, hope, anger, sorrow, bliss and more...together, in a sense.
Here's to a grand year.
Things I have thoughts about:
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power": I had pretty low expectations going into this series, but I was pleasantly surprised. We sprinted through the eight episodes in just a few days. If you're casually familiar with the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy or the books, you'll probably enjoy the "who is ____?" angles of the show. But there's plenty to appreciate here, including the casting and some breathtaking scenes. I'd say it still doesn't quite hold a candle to "Game of Thrones" or "House of the Dragon," but it's still entertaining.
- Browsers: I finally made the switch from Chrome to Firefox as my primary browser (on mobile and desktop) about a month ago (due to various compelling reasons and general curiosity about the experience). So far, so good. But a few days ago, I finally got my invite to start using Arc, a new browser that's making waves. I've found Arc (available only on Mac computers for now) to be refreshing. The setup process was friendly and helpful; the pop-up tips that appear every now and then are welcome; and the general experience has been fine so far. It's quite different from traditional browsers (most of the "action" happens in the left column instead of the top ribbon, for one), and I'm still getting the hang of things. While I don't expect it to replace Firefox yet (the cross-device syncing between my phone and laptop is just too valuable), it's nice to see a breath of fresh air in the stale browser space.
- Parking: When I was younger, I coveted parking spots that were as close to the store entrance as possible. Now that I'm older, I covet parking spots that are as close to a shopping cart return stall as possible. These are the things that tell me I'm getting older...
Things Brie has enjoyed lately:
- Recounting dreams: A few weeks ago, Brianna told us about a dream she had, and we reacted with wonder. Since then, she'll tell us about "dreams" (quotation marks because they seem more like mini stories she imagines) she or one of her stuffed friends had. It's always adorable.
- Toniebox: Brie got a Toniebox for Christmas and has loved it so far. (If you're not familiar with this product, it's basically a soft, huggable box that plays songs and stories when a compatible figurine (a Tonie) is placed on top of it.) She particularly likes holding it in her lap on the way to school. It's a neat screen-free product that bridges the gap between a book and a toy.
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