I drove home from my parent's house last night, exhausted and satisfied from hours of unrestrained eating and time talking underneath umbrellas in the backyard. As I looked in my rearview mirror, I saw the sun hanging low like a golden peach in the sky. Even with the air still hot and stifling, I kept my windows down all the way home on the highway. As someone who often opts for quieter spaces, some may be surprised that I love to do this when I am alone. The noise of the cars and trucks moving at high speeds alongside me is almost deafening, and the air hits my face like a power hose. Yet I am comforted by the constancy of it—the noise, the heat, the pressured air—and I feel completely present for an hour.
My 20s so far have been one change after another. Graduating from college; finding a spot in the professional world; friends marrying and moving away; new apartments every year; relationships beginning and ending; my own family growing and shrinking all at the same time. Still, as I was driving last night, I thought about all of the things that remain constant despite this ocean of change. For instance, I know when I see my mother that she will always greet me as if she hasn't seen me in years. I know my boss will joke at least once a week about how technology is going to be "big" someday. I know a piece of chocolate always tastes the best after a workout, my dry mouth watering around something sweet on my tongue. I know when I hear certain men speak publicly that I know God exists. I know that mowing the lawn makes me feel American. I know hearing live music makes my insides feel like they are hooked up to an amplifier. I know that I never want firework displays to end when I am watching them with someone I like. I know that nothing makes me feel better than when my own laugh becomes a cackle.
With change moving around me like water, I savor more and more the moments when I find something familiar, like a power hosed drive home, to remind me that some things never do change. Because even in the moving ocean, some things are constant.
This just made my day. Thank you!
ReplyDelete