Departure – Amsterdam, The Netherlands, October 1st, 7:30 pm.

We taxied up, up and away. We left the endless flat lines of the Netherlands blazing in a sunset of magenta and gold. 

For about 9 1/2 hours we followed an endless sunset. Up over Scotland, over the top of Ireland, than Iceland, Greenland and into the land of the midnight sun. Finally, the sunset disappeared and, somewhere north of Edmonton, it was night.

Arrival Vancouver, Canada, Oct 1st, 7:45 pm.

Apparently, the flight only took ten minutes.

But in that almost ten-hour block of ten minutes, I was suspended in a timeless space; a no-man’s land where eternal time hung in a state of perpetual now. For that interlude I was freed from the dictates of the earth-bound constraints of a clock.

Limitless. God-like in my eternity.

I listened to music (I finally remembered to bring my good earbuds, instead of the sorry excuse they hand out on flights).  Grooving, with the slightest champagne buzz (thank you Air Transat Club Options!), I listened to albums of music, track by track, lyric by lyric.

I enjoy music, but sadly, the last time I really hung out and absorbed music that closely was probably Supertramp – Crime of the Century.  I would have been 16 (and yes, of course I inhaled).

But in that strange warp of eternity that was last night, I stared for hours at that endless sunset. The golden glow highlighted the bulky knit of clouds, endless purls built into ridges and cables…a magnificent cozy throw tossed over the Atlantic. And I thought about why I stopped paying attention.

I didn’t have to think too long.  The answer has been the same default reason for far too many things in my life; that is, there were things to do!

No time to waste! No time for idle hands! What about the laundry? What about the mess? What about all those things that must be attended to?  What, pray tell Colleen, have you got to show for yourself?!?!

But in all that busyness I had forgotten that the act of absorbing music nourishes and feeds my soul.

I am fifty-three years old. Apparently the gravity of earth bound time is real. This life will end. We all know that. Do I really think the laundry can’t wait? Do I really think I’ll spend my last hours on this earth thinking about a to-do list??

I like to think that instead I will be enthralled with memories that include acts of kindness and moments of grace.  Nights filled with music and sunsets, friends, love and laughter.  Bouquets of wild flowers and children splashing in puddles with lemon-yellow boots.

Dinners in Paris, coffees in Rome and waking in a room holding the hand of the man I love.

Listening to Music. Reading. Making Art. Forging Friendships. Creating. Communing. Cooking. Writing. Volunteering. Meditating. Hiking. Walking. Cycling.

These are some of the ways I plan on filling my one and only life.

What about you? What feeds your soul? Please feel free to add your comments. I’d love to get more ideas that we can all share.

Instead of a To-Do list, I’m building my To-Be list.

http://youtu.be/mv1TVpAyvfc