I sometimes wonder when important dates start to lose their meaning? Does December 7th still live in infamy for people who don’t know anything about it? How many of my students don’t have a personal connection to the date 9/11? Does the average 7 year old know what happened on 11/22/63 and do we need them to hold the day with reverence? How many of us think about birthdays past, or loved ones memorials, or big international events? Why do the numbers stay put in our heads.
This was in my brain yesterday as I passed by a date, lingering on it briefly and silently, thinking in reverence but without regret. It also sits on my heart as I choose NOT to run marathon 12 on the date 12/12 as I did with #10 on 10/10 and #11 on 11/11. I’m ok with letting these dates linger in the cobwebs of my long-term memory. I still pause on 9/13 and think about Ironman and I still wish many a happy birthday on 5/14, 3/14, 6/11, 4/20, and 12/11 (and all the other days facebook tells me to remember). I annually argue with dear K on 6/18 whether it was 6/18 or 6/20 that we met for that first cup of coffee.
As dates pass and change, I think that we can celebrate and remember without having to hold onto deep meaning. I think it is ok to let the wounds of particular days heal and move forward. I hope it is ok to get to 1/1 every year and not be punishing ourselves with resolutions. I think stopping on 12/25 and remembering the immense hope brought to the world by a single newborn child is a celebration of faith and love. But on those days which we weaved onto our hearts with expectation that now have faded, I think it is ok to let this fade…and make new marks on our calendar for joy.
Happy 10/22/12. A Monday filled with hope.
RunSingTeach 