Such a beautiful and thought-provoking piece, Autumn. I so related to this: "Sometimes I wonder if my father is dealing with this same situation on the other side of life. Can he see every point in time? Is he able to communicate through electro-magnetic devices too?" Me too! I stay open to the idea of that other side and hope that my loved ones are watching or trying to communicate with me through devices, hummingbirds, or our old oven, which used to turn itself on from time to time. We had to get rid it for obvious reasons, but part of me was sad to close a potential portal/channel as crazy as that sounds. The loss of a parent leaves such a big hole in us—regardless of whether we had a good relationship with them—and my heart goes out to you in dealing with the loss of your father. I had a complicated relationship with mine. He died in 2006 and I still tear up thinking about him. One year, I decided to spend his birthday doing all the things he loved to do and it turned a melancholy occasion into a more joyful experience for me. I haven't kept it up, but your essay has inspired me to do it again this year. His bday is March 13th.
We're 3/4s of the way through One Day, and like you, this show has conjured so many memories and feelings of loss from my younger days. The writing is superb and though there are tons of laughs, each episode often leaves me gutted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending, which is totally naive, I know, but I can't help myself.
Thank you so much for your support, Hilary! I love your writing. This means so much to me.
Thank you for sharing about your celebration this month for your father’s birthday. Sherman Alexie mentioned doing something similar this year too.
I do think they communicate with us through analogue technology and through intuition.
Did you finish One Day yet? What an ending. I couldn’t stop crying. I hope that show wins those actors awards because they were both so stunning in it. What a beautiful show.
❤️Thanks, Autumn! So happy to have connected with you here and discovered your excellent work. We did finish One Day and the second to last episode kept me up all night and broke my heart. "It's just a TV show, these people aren't real," my husband said. But there was such a realness to it and I'm still thinking about it. I agree that the cast was sensational and I too hope they rack up all the awards.
Heavens, Autumn. All. Of. This. And this: ‘Time amasses regrets. It changes things. It pulls things from the past into the present, like the currents and the undertow of waves’. Your writing moves me.
Beautiful essay, Autumn It made me think of Castaneda's Don Juan reminding a distracted Carlos that he must see Death as his counselor, ever-present at his shoulder reminding him to pay attention because life is finite. The same message echoes in DeMontaigne, Aurelius, and even Stephen King. As John Lennon said, "life's what happens while you're busy making other plans "
March 8th will be the 21st anniversary of my father's death. Your essay and remembering Interstellar has me looking at all the items here in my office that belonged to my father. And I'm hoping he's just on the other side of those things.
Such a beautiful and thought-provoking piece, Autumn. I so related to this: "Sometimes I wonder if my father is dealing with this same situation on the other side of life. Can he see every point in time? Is he able to communicate through electro-magnetic devices too?" Me too! I stay open to the idea of that other side and hope that my loved ones are watching or trying to communicate with me through devices, hummingbirds, or our old oven, which used to turn itself on from time to time. We had to get rid it for obvious reasons, but part of me was sad to close a potential portal/channel as crazy as that sounds. The loss of a parent leaves such a big hole in us—regardless of whether we had a good relationship with them—and my heart goes out to you in dealing with the loss of your father. I had a complicated relationship with mine. He died in 2006 and I still tear up thinking about him. One year, I decided to spend his birthday doing all the things he loved to do and it turned a melancholy occasion into a more joyful experience for me. I haven't kept it up, but your essay has inspired me to do it again this year. His bday is March 13th.
We're 3/4s of the way through One Day, and like you, this show has conjured so many memories and feelings of loss from my younger days. The writing is superb and though there are tons of laughs, each episode often leaves me gutted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending, which is totally naive, I know, but I can't help myself.
Thank you so much for your support, Hilary! I love your writing. This means so much to me.
Thank you for sharing about your celebration this month for your father’s birthday. Sherman Alexie mentioned doing something similar this year too.
I do think they communicate with us through analogue technology and through intuition.
Did you finish One Day yet? What an ending. I couldn’t stop crying. I hope that show wins those actors awards because they were both so stunning in it. What a beautiful show.
❤️Thanks, Autumn! So happy to have connected with you here and discovered your excellent work. We did finish One Day and the second to last episode kept me up all night and broke my heart. "It's just a TV show, these people aren't real," my husband said. But there was such a realness to it and I'm still thinking about it. I agree that the cast was sensational and I too hope they rack up all the awards.
Time is the white keys. Everything else is the black.
Love you. Thanks for sharing and reading.
Heavens, Autumn. All. Of. This. And this: ‘Time amasses regrets. It changes things. It pulls things from the past into the present, like the currents and the undertow of waves’. Your writing moves me.
Beautiful essay, Autumn It made me think of Castaneda's Don Juan reminding a distracted Carlos that he must see Death as his counselor, ever-present at his shoulder reminding him to pay attention because life is finite. The same message echoes in DeMontaigne, Aurelius, and even Stephen King. As John Lennon said, "life's what happens while you're busy making other plans "
I need to read that book. Thank you for this thoughtful comment and for becoming a paid subscriber. I appreciate your support!
March 8th will be the 21st anniversary of my father's death. Your essay and remembering Interstellar has me looking at all the items here in my office that belonged to my father. And I'm hoping he's just on the other side of those things.
Thank you! Appreciate your comment and readership. I think that is where they are, on the other side of everything.