It is in this moment and in these days that I am reminded of the ebb and flow of life. For some reason, it seems to help me understand and explain the things that really have no reason to some people. I realize that without low moments in life, there really are no highs. Our lives are filled with both and they would lack their significance without their counterpart.
It seems like a sick joke on the eve of a very exciting milestone that I would also be contemplating the end of a life (sweet chocolate lab Cali). But in the moment that this thought crosses my mind, I realize that it was the way it was meant to be. In some ways, I would prefer to experience the joy and excitement without the opposite experience waiting in the wings. It seems that if you pay attention, this is part of the human condition.
About 17 or 18 years ago, I had noticed a nest on my patio that held three bird eggs. I closely watched it over the course of a few weeks. Until one weekend day, I woke up to find that the eggs had hatched. I crawled up on a ladder and snapped a photo. They were three cute little birds just starting their life. Later that day, I took my three year old golden retriever to the park to play frisbee. She unexpectedly died at the park with the frisbee in her mouth. After a few weeks, I developed my film and saw the photo of the baby birds. It was in that moment that I first realized the ebb and flow; easy come easy go.
It might seem like a corny story, but it is something that I often think back on when I question the ‘why’ of life. For me, it is not about ‘why’, it is just the way it is and the way it is meant to be. Do I sometimes want it different, certainly. But, I submit that I have no control over these things. All the great things in life do not exist unto themselves. They are all part of the ebb and flow.
I will remind myself of this as I walk forward into this week with great anticipation for some things and with great sadness for others. And, I am mindful of a hummingbird nest just outside my back door with a small white egg waiting to hatch.
