Last week, we enjoyed giving and receiving the gift of time. Without any real agenda, we drove over Donner Pass and through the Wild-Wild-West toward pockets of California love. HHH and I suspect there’s a true “Blue Zone”, although longevity may flourish when one embraces daily happiness and fills their heart with love for others. Whatever the case, time stops when we visit these wonderful friends, and love multiplies in the best ways possible.
Without HHH, this wouldn’t be possible. Without giving it a second thought (but maybe a few grumbles), he navigated and drove through an active shootout with police and news cameras. Through an entire town that was shuttered due to a burst water main. Through truck drivers looking down at their phones instead of the road (I counted eight, which should concern every driver). Through erratic drivers who shouldn’t be on the road. Ten hours of nerve-wracking near collisions, all avoided because of his expertise. HHH, giving me time with family is the most precious gift of all.
Time to laugh with a true Goddess of the Central Coast.
Time to meet the Goddess of the Coastal Forest.
Time to hug my Godmother, who has gotten her assignment right for nine decades. Heaven knows, it’s not always been an easy assignment.
And then there is Miss Firecracker.
Miss Firecracker, didn’t merely sit beside her birthday cake. She became the sparkler on top of it. 40 years old, with 50 more in the rearview mirror, she’s still shining, laughing, and casting light into the room because each year has only made her brighter.
Between all of us, we’ve lived 494 years, which sounds almost biblical. Nearly five centuries of birthdays, babies, heartbreaks, recipes, funerals, gardens, road trips, prayers, mistakes, forgiveness, and laughter. Almost five hundred years of stories sitting together in one small bubble of time.
Auntie TJ has witnessed all of my 70 years. Always there. Always smiling. Choosing happiness every day, even when it was hard to find much to be happy about.
That is no small thing.
It made me realize once again that time is the most precious gift we are given. Not things. Not money. Not perfect schedules or polished plans. Just time.
Time to listen.
Time to talk.
Time to hold a hand and receive a hug.
Time to make a new friend.
Time to sit beside someone who has walked this earth for ninety years and understand that wisdom does not always arrive loudly. Sometimes it comes wearing lipstick, eating birthday cake, and sparkling all over the room.
Each day, HHH and I had 24 hours of vacation time to spend as we chose. Some of those hours were spent on the ordinary business of living. But those hours spent in the presence of these women made priceless memories.
Last week, every story mattered. Every giggle was golden. Holding hands again, we were suspended in one big ball of happiness. Time stopped in a blue zone. I think that must happen a lot in their little spot of heaven on earth.
We stood by the steps of a brand-new house in 1998 that would be Auntie TJ’s home in 2026. We went dress shopping in San Francisco, and were invited to watch a young bride walk down the aisle in Rhode Island. We met family members in Pennsylvania. Stories were shared about this stubborn little blonde (me) who knew what she wanted out of life early on. All while sitting in a magical kitchen that brought out the best in everyone.
Last week, while driving down highways, sitting at tables, laughing over old memories, and making new ones, time didn’t need to be fancy to be sacred. I wish it could’ve stopped for a bit longer, because, as we all know, there is never enough time to be with those you love.
Everyone has the gift of time waiting to be given. Last week, we spent some of ours on true-to-life Goddesses and Firecrackers.
You just might have some of those in your life, too.
The question is, just how will you spend yours?
More tomorrow.