It can seem as quick as a blink, but the passage of time remains all too real. In May of 2017, my wife and I had the opportunity to travel to Paris. We vacationed and explored and relished in the mystique a world destination like the City of Lights can afford. It was magnificent to eat baguettes and dine on words we couldn’t pronounce while staring at the Seine. We were able to explore priceless art exhibits and wake up to espressos. It was many blissful moments rolled into one trip. Yet, I still can’t help recalling the first magazines mentioning while we were there that Paris had won its bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. In the same news sections, L.A. was listed as the 2028 Olympic site. I remember looking from the article to my wife and saying, “That’s amazing, but it’s so far away!”
We were nine years into our marriage and celebrating what we’d later term our Babymoon as we honeymooned all over and discussed plans for a new addition not yet conceived. Then (because I have severe problems with commitment), I booked another ‘Babymoon’ for that Winter in Hawaii as well. My rationale, we couldn’t have travel and babies at the same time. Apparently, I had never explored the mechanics of family growth that fully in my grade-school health class. But, we walked the grounds and traversed the Metro as much as our stomachs could handle that stint in France. Then, we imagined what our lives might be like if we just stayed rather than return to our Tennessee zip code. It was an awestruck moment to be on, what us country bumpkins considered, a ‘global’ stage and perceive what an Olympic event would look like seven years later.
Well, one child, a relocation to the Holy City, and a pandemic later, the Olympic stage in Paris is now set and will begin in three short days. I am not sure what to make of the worldwide events [chaos] that circulate on news outlets 24/7, but I am proud of how swiftly (and still slowly) time marches along for those of us breathing air. Our daughter is almost a first-grader, and we have now become home-owners again. I finished a doctorate last fall, and I still feel weird in being addressed as anything other than “Hey, weirdo.” Maybe it summarizes itself when people say the world never stops turning. Regardless, I am blessed with the mileage and memories thus far. Whether we win one gold or no gold, I feel the ‘living’ is what makes it all worthwhile.