Time moved in two directions because every step into the future carried a memory of the past… — Paul Auster, 4 3 2 1
I have mostly ignored Ali Edwards this year and in past years, I don’t think I have paid much attention to the “companion word” lesson. But time just seemed the perfect word for companions… it seems to invite them.
- I thought about time and space… such perfect companions.
- And then there is the juncture of time… an intersection, as it were, of things happening. Perhaps an ending and a beginning.
- Then there is the time of music… rhythm and all the delight it brings to my day!
- And how about set time… the scheduled time of our lives. Not much fun here… but it is perhaps the most necessary sort of time!
- At 63 I am most familiar with the keeping of time in years, months, weeks, days… I remember time dragging when I was young, but my thoughts on this being the final Monday in June surprised me… this month just raced by!
- Finally… when you add all these things together, I have my life experience… the collection of minutes, days, weeks, months, years… all of which are memories of the past… lots of memories to carry with me into the future!
I have been thinking about those memories a lot this month as I contemplated companions of time… and so I would add another companion to time… memory. In my “memory thinking,” I thought about how my grandparents shared memories… vivid memories… every time I visited them. I need to keep those memories… so I am going to begin a bit of a memory journal, where I can write down the stories that were shared with me. That way, their memories can live on past them… and past me.
Added to all of that is my reread of Paul Auster’s 4 3 2 1 and my month has been full of time contemplation! I don’t think I really tuned in to all the fascinating time references that Auster shares in the lives of Ferguson… but this time, with time on my radar, I am finding so much to contemplate, to consider, to change my view. I think that my reread of 4 3 2 1 was a timely intervention by the OLW gods!
…and while all people are bound together by the common space they shared, their journeys through time were all different, which meant that each person lived a slightly different world from everyone else. — Paul Auster, 4 3 2 1
I love this thought… though we are all in the same “time frame” we all have very different journeys. A gentle reminder for kindness, empathy, and openness to those who cross our paths… I need this reminder more often than I’d care to admit!
And there you have my collection of thoughts on time this month… (and for those keeping track, this month a word began showing up on my radar all over the place! I am thinking… potential OLW ’25?? And while I am excited by this, I know the journey to December still has many days to go, but I think this could prove to be a fascinating word to study!)
I would like to thank Carolyn for her timely reminders on our OLW updates because I really needed that reminder this month! Stop over there and see how everyone else did on their word journeys!
See you all back here on Wednesday with some Unraveling!
This month really zoomed by for me (despite LONG days in the hospital). Time is such a funny concept – different at different ages, different at different times of the year, etc., etc. Love your idea of a “memory journal” and that last quote from Auster sure is powerful!
Time is an intriguing concept – an hour having dental surgery is much longer than an hour spent knitting! I agree with Vera; that last quote is worthy of contemplation. (Wait ’til you start the new RWU book!)
That is such a thoughtful, comprehensive list of companions — and, then, adding Memory to it! My Gram was my best friend when I was in my 20’s. She died the weekend of my wedding shower. I often wish out loud that my children could have known her; writing down your memories will be yet another gift to your children and grandchildren — and theirs.
Wow! A 2025 word on your radar! I’m not asking a single, solitary question (of course) — but I’ll be curious how it persists (or not) over the second half of ’24
I have journaled many times of my memories of days gone by… I still write about them sometimes but now that you’ve mentioned it I haven’t done so lately and in a dedicated journal. What a fun idea.
Time is such an artificial concept. I think sometimes we’d do better to live by weather as nature does. Interesting post, full of good reflections.
I think all those companion words are very apt and definitely help to add to your thinking about time. It’s always good to remember that our experiences are ours alone, and that’s also the case with our experience of time. I think your kids and grandkids will really treasure all the memories you can write down and share with them!
I think adding time as a companion word is perfect. For me it’s been joy as a companion to delight – they may feel like the same on the surface but they are subtly (and importantly) different to me.
Oooooo! What great and inspired time-thinking you’ve had this month, Kat. Somehow, I bet you’ll be thinking about time AND . . . for a good long while. XO
Writing down memories and family stories seems so important to me. A dedicated journal is something your children will love. I read all the back blog posts to catch up. We’ve been away visiting our daughter and family. I do like the idea of time with a companion word. When it comes to words, one thought does often suggest another.