Once again, this principle goes back to living for the moment. Lately I've been making more of a conscious effort to enjoy the here and now. Squelching the coulda-woulda-shoulda’s. Banishing fault-finding and complaining. Relinquishing the past and silencing worries about the future, reminding myself that “most of what you worry about never happens anyway.” I sure haven’t mastered all of this with consistency yet, but I’ve definitely had my moments of success.
Recently my brother and sister-in-law came to town and of course I had a good deal of trepidation about their visit, based on the dissension between us over the past several years. But some valuable exchanges occurred between Mike and me that helped toward my goal of quieting the bitter words spoken between us in the past, forgiving and letting go. The thing that moved me the most involved, of all things, a jean jacket.
Years ago when we were both in high school, I often asked my brother if I could borrow his jean jacket. I had one too, but mine was new-looking, dark blue and just didn’t measure up in the coolness factor. His was faded, frayed and showed the perfect amount of wear. Yes, sometimes I was guilty of just taking it when he wasn’t around to ask, and there were times he had to track it down in my closet when he wanted to wear it. This went on for several months until Christmas rolled around. There, in a package under the tree with my name on it, was the beloved jean jacket. He liked it almost as much as I did, so I truly considered it a gift of generosity. I treasured it and wore it often, until it became thread-bare and practically fell apart in my hands.
Flash forward through about 40 years and lots of turmoil between us to the recent visit. I was on a bike ride and stopped at their campsite to see them. Mike announced, “I brought you something” as he pulled out another well-worn jean jacket. I literally had to blink back the tears forming in my eyes.
My husband thinks I’m reading too much into the situation, but to me the jacket represents a truce. I feel that it’s Mike’s way of saying, in his own unique way, “Let’s forget about what has happened and go back to how we used to be.” The jacket needs a patch or two (or three) and is well weathered, but then so are we at this point! The unexpected gift truly touched me. I will patch it and wear it with great pride and pleasure. It serves as a wonderful reminder to stop the griping, enjoy the moment and live for today.
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