Living in a pandemic environment gives you lots of time to think. And while I was pondering various levels of navel lint the other day, I suddenly thought about all the people I had encountered in my life.
I’ve never actually counted and now I think about it, I don’t think I could, but there must be thousands of people who have come and gone through my life. Every kid I went to school with. (And I’m a baby boomer, so big BIG classes. I was in a mixed grade 4/5 class when we bought our first family home. At least 30 in each grade. One teacher. So 60 kids in my class. Our classroom was half the gymnasium.) One teacher. All those people in my University classes and and labs. Church, people in various youth groups, leaders and other kids. Thinking of all these people was overwhelming. It was almost like contemplating infinity, or where the universe ends. Because every one of those people influenced my life in some way.
Having nothing but time on my hands, I ran several scenarios in my brain trying to think of an analogy that made sense and held together as I progressed through my lint gathering.
I started out thinking about my life as the trunk of a tree and all the people who passed through my life were branches. Some stayed close to my trunk and twined around it vine-like as they stayed in my life for longer periods, or made significant contributions to me and the person I become….am still becoming.
People who were in my life but at a distance, entered my branch on one side crossed through and exited on the other. I was probably a similar line on their tree trunk.
You’ve probably noticed that I tend to think graphically.
The tree concept got pretty crowded and messy really fast, so my next concept was a highway, but that map got messed up about as fast as the tree branch image even though a map can unfold countless times in all directions.
Because I managed projects in my work life, I thought of critical paths too, sad, I know, but the concept was good. Just, again, too many lines going every which way. Way too populated for a critical path. Being a grammar geek, and having been reminded of these on Facebook recently, I thought about sentence diagrams. That thought was gone before it was fully formed.
I just cut a failed weaving project off my loom. Perhaps if this project had worked, I might have thought of my life as a weaving. But the frustration of a ruined warp didn’t let my brain go that way.
Then the light bulb went on. A river. A river really works. Tributaries come and go. Some join and become part of the river forever, form lakes or ponds, join oceans and seas, take on lives of their own. Others join then leave. The river can be placid, calm, fast, tumultuous, but when I think of rivers, I think of fertile…like the Nile.
Complex. Creative. Sinuous and going in unexpected directions, like life itself.
So river it is. My life looks like a river delta. I like to think it is rich and diverse, inspired and fertilized by the contributions of so many people.
So very many people, in so many ways. Even the ones who brought unhappiness or pain brought lessons and growth. Sometimes a chance comment from a passer-by brought profound change to my life.
Dancing has had a huge influence on my life and is practically a river of its own. My Mom was a tapdancer, I loved highland dancing. And I took lessons from the woman who had taught her. Dancing touched my entire life. It even influenced the clothes I wore. If the skirt wouldn’t twirl when I danced and swirl when I walked, it wasn’t worth owning. As an adult I encountered and loved modern dancing, and through that group got to taste the folk dances of dozens of different countries. Then I was introduced to Scottish Country Dancing and I danced in three different provinces with a bunch of interesting people. Scottish country dance workshops introduced me to dancers, dance teachers, choreographers and musicians from across Canada, the United States and the UK. I can go anywhere in the world and join the dance.
Music is another big influence. Through dance, I have always enjoyed music, but music in its own right entered my life just a few years ago, well past the time when most people take up music, when Sondra gave me harp lessons and harp rental for Christmas. Thanks to that gift I have met some amazing people, the ladies of harp circle and its leader. chief among them. I am a neophyte come late to the world of reading music, but they befriended me and patiently try and teach this old dog new tricks.
The other side of music is performance, and while I don’t perform I have watched others and concerts, mainly rock concerts, have brought great joy to my life. Sondra has taken me to Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Canadian icons Sarah McLachlan and Sarah Slean. Ken and I have seen Rufus Wainwright, Hawksley Workman, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Lighthouse, Randy Bachman, Matt Anderson, the Eagles, Garth Brooks, Reba McIntyre, Dixie Chicks (now the Chicks) Fleetwood Mac……I even saw The Who as a university student, back before they were a big name. And the Edmonton Folk Festival and its treasure trove of Celtic music, other folk musicians, and treasures introduced me to Mary Gauthier, John Wart Hannon, Lyle Lovett, Allison Krause. And I can’t even articulate the joy of musical theatre. My first experience was Cats, then Phantom. Kinky Boots in New York. Book of Mormon and Beautiful, the Carole King story in London. Les Miz several times, including once in Toronto with Colm Wilkinson. Chicago. Rent. And my favourite, From Away. I am so lucky.
Work. So many talented people, so many I consider mentors. So many helpful, supportive colleagues. All willingly shared knowledge, experiences, lessons, and helped me grow.
Friends that are dear enough and close enough to be family. Friends who have been at my side for decades. A couple, half a century (OMG!!). Never judging, always supporting. Always loving.
And family. They are the very life-giving sap that runs through the branches of the tree, the water that runs down the mountain from its source through the tributaries, to the streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and oceans. They feed, nourish, support, teach, love. Most of all they love.
I am the most fortunate of people, grateful for the dear love of husband who is my Red, my Mississippi, my Nile, my Ganges, my Amazon. And family….daughter, grandchildren, brothers, nieces and nephews, cousins, parents, parents-in-law, and brothers- and sisters-in-law who support, nurture, love.
My river delta overflows. Thank you.
