Note: this was written two years prior to its publish date 😊
Jody, the girls and I recently spent a week at Universal Studios and Disney. Seven straight days of theme parks and 25,000 steps a day. No slide show to come, I promise.
With Savannah and Jasmine being 15 and 13, respectively, we agreed this would be our last big Disney trip for quite some time. Plus, this was our third time to the land of magic.
As the trip came to an end, a pang of sadness came over the girls and me. (Jody was done with Disney three years ago, so she was happy this final trip was over.) Our reasons were probably different. They didn’t want the party to end and didn’t want to go back to school. Plus, they knew this was our last hoorah.
For me, the sadness stemmed from knowing we are moving into another stage of our lives. And for the record, this isn’t an unpleasant sadness. It is one I welcome fully, with grace and reverence.
The girls are really no longer girls. They are blossoming young women. Strong individuals. Funny as hell. Perfectly different.
I have loved them at every age, but age they do. As do I. As do we all.
Savannah could be off to university in as little as three years. Jasmine will be finishing up high school around that same time. And I will be over the 50 mark.
While in the theme parks, it feels like some form of suspended animation from the real world. While Mickey, the ageless wonder, looked spritely as ever, I felt fascinated and engrossed with the passage of time. I found myself marvelling at infants and toddlers at the beginning of their journeys. Soaking in Donald, Goofy and popcorn with a whole life in front of them to unfold. Teenagers there with their crew rocking sequined Minnie ears soon to be thrust into adulthood. Newly married couples soon to forge families and traditions of their own. Parents like Jody and me trying to make the day as magical as possible for their kids. And multi-generational families with matching t-shirts, including grandparents creating memories with their children and grandkids.
The trip felt like a defined line in our sand timeline. I guess every moment of every day is equally so, this just happened to be a more memorable one.
Time is so precious and blessed. Not to be taken for granted. Pissed away on trivialities and the inconsequential.
It truly is a finite resource to be treasured. No matter where we find ourselves in our own timeline, there is magic to be found.
How about you?
What moments are marking the passage of time in your life?
Where does the magic lie in your life?
