Embarking on 7, Seeing the Future

In just 14 short days, Meera will turn 7. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that fact, but a fact it is. There’s no stopping time. It is just trucking along like an 18-wheeler on a fast-moving highway.

I try to press pause each day, savor the moments, be fully present. It is hard to do when life is moving at mach speed. When so much is happening, so fast. But I try hard.

Tonight was the “Spring Concert” at the bambinos’ school. Kyle and Owen were performing. Meera’s still too young to be in it, so we get to have her with us instead of watching her on the stage. This is a sweetness I savor — having a little one, still sitting with us in the audience, not yet up there with the big kids. Lucky for Meera, she has a whole gaggle of girlfriends who are little sisters of big kids. Somehow a whole group of them ended up sitting with Meera — and thus, with us — for the concert. Much to my delight. This also is something I savor — the chance to be a participant observer, for a moment, in the social world of my girl.

Before the concert started they were chit-chatting, and girl-bonding, as per usual.  One had a camera with her. And before I knew it, I found them taking photos of themselves. I tried to be fully present, but the moment was surreal — as though I was seeing the future. They are six and seven, but I had a little glimmer — a glimpse — of them at sixteen and seventeen.

The concert started. I had brought some colored pencils for Meera, to help keep her occupied during the concert. But I hadn’t anticipated her friends all sitting with us, so I didn’t have enough paper to go around. I ended up pulling out of my bag the only thing I could find to distribute to them for coloring on — a small stack of my business cards. So for over an hour I watched as they colored together on the backs of my business cards, while sitting in that audience as very well behaved Little Sisters. This was a glimpse of them no older than seven — just the sweetly little, little kids that they are — coloring away, with a concert happening all around them, seemingly without a self-conscious care in the world.

They had a great time. I had a better time, just savoring that time getting to see my girl with her girls. Whether at 7 or at 17, I hope she always has such good friends.