Welcome back to SOLO at SIXTY!
Are you feeling the effects of losing that extra hour of sleep Saturday night? Did you set your alarm and get up to move your clocks back at 2 AM? I mean, who does that?!?! And why is 2 AM the magical hour? I slept very well Saturday night at my older sister’s house, but I always do, it is so comfortable and so comforting. And I got to sleep in Sunday morning, making up for losing that hour of sleep. So, I guess I did not lose an hour. WHEW!
“TIME CHANGE GUIDE: Cell Phone: Leave them alone – they change magically. Kitchen Appliances: Get a masters degree in electrical engineering…or get a hammer. Car Clocks: Not worth it… Wait six months!”
If you could save time in a bottle, what times in your life would you save? Time in a Bottle was sung at my brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s wedding. What a beautiful song. And what a beautiful thought to be able to capture special times in our life, bottle them up, and bring them out when we need a boost in our life. I can think of right many times I would like to capture in a bottle, including this past weekend.
I left Charlottesville early Saturday morning heading to Winston-Salem to get to The Art Show and Sale, where my sister sold several pieces of her work! Needless to say, she was very pleased. I love the piece in the picture below – based on a picture she took at Shem Creek in Charleston, SC. She and I spent some time there during our trips to Mount Pleasant to see one of our favorite authors and get our books signed!
“Whatever it is you want to do, do it. You only have so many tomorrows.”
I stopped in to see my sweet Momma after the art show. Totally surprised her (as usual) and woke her up from her chair nap (again as usual!). Our visits may only be 30 minutes sometimes, but it is time I truly treasure. Even though Mom won’t remember I was there an hour later, she knew I was there in the moment. And she knew who I was: her favorite daughter. HAHAHA! My sisters and I always tell her we are her favorite daughter. And of course, I always get a picture with Mom, because, well, you just never know. Seems I never leave Mom without running into high school friends visiting their parents too. Reassuring to know that my sisters and I are not the only ones having to place their parent in a home. Also reassuring to know they trust the care of their parents there as well.
“Memories remind us that nothing lasts forever. Time is precious and should not be wasted. Enjoy life and remember, don’t count the days, make the days count.”
Though Saturday afternoon was a bit chilly, my sister and I decided it was warm enough to sit on her porch, wrapped up in blankets with our slippers on, and enjoy a glass (or 2 or 3) of wine. Sisters (like friends) are never at a loss of words. Or is that just me? I am rarely at a loss of words, as anyone who knows me can attest to. (Especially after having some wine!) And yes, I was drinking red wine for a big change – but it was a really good red wine.
“Spend time with those you love. One of these days you will either say, ‘ I wish I had ’ or ‘ I’m glad I did.’ ” Zig Ziglar
My sweet brother-in-law apologized to me Saturday afternoon – he had made our dinner reservation at 6:30, right during THE game. Told him it was ok, game might be a tad too stressful for me to watch, especially away from the sanctity of my own home. And boy was I right! Our dinner at Spring House Restaurant was wonderful and made up for missing the game (even though I checked the score several times). Plus the restaurant has some history with our sweet momma. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the former Bahnson House. Mom was the personal secretary to one of the Bahnsons for as long as I can remember. We spent lots of time as kids with mom going to deliver or pick up typing and dictation.
“Many things aren’t equal, but everyone gets the same 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We make time for what we truly want.”
Like I said earlier, I got to sleep in Sunday morning as we had nothing scheduled until the birthday lunch for my younger sister who was turning, well, younger than me (and my older sister!). My older sister fixed her favorite foods and I provided her favorite cake, the one mom used to make special, just for her. And her favorite people were all there – her grandkids, her son and his wife, and of course us! All there to celebrate Ishie’s birthday. Sweet Jack calls my sister Ishie, because he thinks that is her name. His parents would say to him, “Is she here?” “Is she coming?” So Ishie became her name. And it stuck. So sweet!
I couldn’t believe there was still sunlight when I pulled into my driveway Sunday evening at 7:00 pm. It makes losing that hour of sleep worth it! Especially since I had slept in and missed the darker earlier hours. Walked in my house, looked up at my clock and thought, uh-oh, I need to change all of my clocks. And even though I don’t have a masters in engineering, I was able to change the clocks on all of my appliances without getting the manuals out! (Thank heavens my car’s clock changed automatically!)
Four years ago, when my older sister unexpectedly gave up her weekend to help me move into my current house (SOLO), she said I should have the clock that was in our childhood home, because I had the perfect spot for it. She was right! It’s a wall clock that has to be plugged in, and I just happen to have a plug high up on a wall in my family room. This clock is 60+ years old and still running (like me haha!). It was always in a very prominent place in our home, and I am thankful to have it, even if moving the time forward an hour on it was a bit challenging.
“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” – Kevin Arnold
We didn’t necessarily lose an hour of sleep last weekend, we just moved forward in our lives. And we need to keep moving forward. We can never go back, but we can choose to live for today. Make memories every day. My older sister and I talked about this last weekend. Why wait to do the things we want to do? I am doing my darnedest to enjoy my life, be with the people I love, and make new memories. Why wait? Because as we all know, none of us is promised tomorrow.
“Don’t waste time on what could have been. Instead, make things happen for you.”
Best,
Leslie
PS – This week is a crazy one y’all – Started off with moving the clocks back an hour, followed by a full moon Monday, and will end with Friday the 13th. YIKES! Be safe out there and WASH YOUR HANDS!
SOLO at SIXTY 