"Time in a Bottle..."

In the 70's there was a song called "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce..."If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do, is save every day till eternity passes away just to spend it with you...". Well, I had been secretly saving time, or so I thought. I was going to work and work and work because at the beginning of August school would stop. I would sigh and soak up the long awaited laziness brought on by the sun. Then the best part would be uncorking the bottle of time to share with all the best people in the world...ahhh...That is until August 17th when graduate school would start. 

Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men may indeed fall apart. The week for the long awaited vacation arrived to find me unable to move. The muscle I apparently strained at work several weeks before decided to flare up again. So needless to say the time...the precious time which I had saved in a bottle was spent resting and in physical therapy. Being still was not easy for me. However, I know there was a reason.

This I wrote a month ago...The muscle strain is some better now but not entirely. At times it is miserable. Such a totally frustrating experience. I will, however, from now on have endless empathy for back pain sufferers.

Today, the Sunday before Labor Day was amazing. There was a crispness in the air that hinted at the beauty to come. Graduate school has resumed and I'm surviving statistics for the time being. I spent the day tidying the house, garage, and dragging the fall decorations out of the attic. Thank goodness for attics...
Bring it on, Fall...I'm ready for my favorite time of the year!
Even if I did miss my trip to the beach...

In commemoration of the beach trip that didn't happen I am going to drag out a poem I wrote last year as I languished on the sand...Ahhh

The Tide of Life

The sand is so soft
and warm.

The air is humid

and sticky.
The sights
and sounds of the sea

provide a relaxing

hum to the tide of life.

Constant,
unrelenting,
back and forth,
back and forth.

Moments,
hours,
days,
undulate between
feverish activity,
lethargy,
and contentment.

The ocean looks like glass.
Thick air,
moist with salty spray,
relinquishes a rare breeze.

Children laugh,
waves crash,
and the tide ebbs;
back and forth,
back and forth.

Time,
endless time,
ticks by....
The tide of life.

Laziness creeps in;
sigh...
It is refined
and
polished,
becoming an art form,
relax.

Reading, playing, eating,
basking...
verbs of pleasure
punctuate our speech.


Nights spent
on the beach
watching
the people,
the sunset,
the surf.

Alone,
meditating,
with The Maker,
The Giver...Lover of our souls.

Washing the shore,
Cleaning the sand,
back and forth,
back and forth.

So unending,
so everlasting,
the tide of the Spirit.

Steadily,
the breakers beat the shore.
Occasionally,
an isolated firework
cracks
and fans across the starry sky.

Unfazed,
the swell surges,
back and forth,
back and forth.

So steady,
so dependable,
the tide.

Spontaneous,
late night
room service,
just for fun.

Early morning
cartoons,
half awake,
awkward, childish bodies
sprawled
across sofas and beds.
Loving,
playful banter
thrown
back and forth,
back and forth.

So faithful,
so abiding,
the tide of a family.

Embrace this portrait,
these memories,
the sweet filling of the spirit,
painted one season.


back and forth,
back and forth,
back and forth...