Celebrate good times when you visit a dear friend, spend productive time with colleagues, or enjoy gatherings with relatives. Circles of time- as interactions occur, even for brief moments- proactively engaging with others to make worthwhile moments.
I lunched recently with a former co-worker at a favorite fast food joint featuring a mutually beloved sandwich special. We gleefully indulged, like kids. Food may be primarily aimed at the body, but it can surely nurture the soul and mind, too. We laughed, reminisced, and got emotional as we waxed nostalgic about co-workers now gone along with happier work memories.
I recalled how this remarkable woman went to New York City in December, 2001, to help hundreds of people still suffering from the devastation of the 9-11 attack. As a certified Red Cross volunteer, she’d done work after nature had wreaked havoc in Saipan and New Orleans, but in December, 2001, she asked me (her boss) if she could go to New York, three months after the once unthinkable had become America’s reality.
She spent two weeks there working 12-14 hour days comforting those in need- trying to direct them toward food, housing, hope, mental stability, and answers. She was 55 years old then- it was her first trip to the Big Apple. No Broadway, no Empire State Building, no fun. As I remembered those days, I recalled a numbness creeping in as we realized that our world would never be the same; whatever innocence still existed after other historic, turbulent times was gone. I thought back to my young children then, pondering what they would inherit as the world shook, yet invariably pushed forward.
When my friend returned to work in January, 2002, shocked and stunned from her N.Y. experience, she remained resilient, for that is her demeanor. She told me that nowadays she walks daily around a shopping center which is home to a dialysis center. Occasionally, she’ll notice patients exiting and offers to help them get back to their cars after their long, draining sessions. Oh my; still giving.
Some give ‘til it hurts; others sublimate or ignore trauma and pain that occur and yet possess the fortitude to keep giving. We deeply enjoyed our unhealthy sandwiches and two hours recollecting. Here’s to human interaction and satisfying get-togethers. Circles of time. In 2026, meet up with greater frequency, because time waits for no one. Happy New Year!
Think about it…