On Saturday, before Missy's birthday party, I was running around doing some errands. I stopped in at a grocery store to pick up some things. As I got in line to pay, I saw this elderly woman in front of me. She had a kind face, a gentle demeanor, and was wearing this beautiful Chanel scarf that very much reminded me of my grandmother, Phyllis.
Phyllis loved scarves. She often wore these very fancy Hermès scarves. She didn't do so to be fancy or pretentious, but just to inject a little style and class into her everyday life. My grandmother was a character. She had a zest for life, a certain panache and flair that made even the tiniest, quietest little moments special.
I hadn't thought about her in a while, and seeing that woman's scarf reminded me of her, powerfully. It made me very happy. So, I decided to strike up a conversation as we waited. I complimented her scarf, told her how it reminded me of my grandmother.
She told me that she too, was a grandmother. She said that generally, being a grandmother was a good thing, except of course, for the age, and how the past is gone, and the future coming on all too soon.
I was wearing shorts at the time, and pointed to the tattoo on my leg, which is the first stanza, first verse of the Tao te Ching. I explained to her that maybe there was a different way to see things, that there's no such thing as the past or future, just this very moment, right here, right now, and that that moment goes on, without end, forever.
She brightened up, and said she'd never thought about it that way. She smiled at me widely.
That reminded me of my grandmother too.
She felt good. I felt good.
It kind of set the tone for the rest of my day.