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Notes from Below Sea Level
“A Short Note of Thanks”
This morning finds me on my patio. Here on the Gulf Coast it is 67 degrees with 97 percent humidity—which is what we call a muggy December day. This morning I am thinking back to TS Eliot’s first stanza of “Burn Norton” of Four Quartets where he concludes that “time is unredeemable” if certain conditions are met. Maybe—in a theological sense—he is right, but I’m going to continue believing it is salvageable (at least for the time being).
I’m not comfortable with “goodbyes.” I rudely leave parties without thanking the host, have ducked out of New Year’s Eve parties around 11:00 for most of my adult life, and am known to simply disappear from many social gatherings. But today marks my final Notes from Below Sea Level and next Tuesday my final Morning Open Thread and I wanted to make a special effort to thank everyone here for making my time worthwhile. It would be easy to say simply that my life has been enriched by the experience (it has) or that I’ve learned so much over the last decade or so (I have), but it has been more than that: I’m indebted to everyone for teaching me how to listen without judgment. Everyone has a story to tell and, with practice, those stories can become part of our own brief histories.
So, I am packing all these tales and taking them with me as I start the next chapter of my life (a sort of confused metaphor that works if you don’t think too deeply about it). I am going to spend a bit of time on myself, digging a bit deeper into the sod of what is my life looking for treasures or at least meaning in the shards scattered around. While I never expect much success on these excavations, I do know they will be new and enlightening in surprising ways. And that, my friends, is always worth the effort.
Thank you, kindly, for the experience and for your time. I wish you all well and godspeed.
(December 2024)
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Cheers everyone and here’s to having a day worth remembering.
Be well, be kind, and appreciate the love you have in your life.
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What's on your mind this morning?