Orelove Family Blog: Cobwebs

Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night with lots of thoughts in your head. Some of these thoughts are current concerns, related to work and family and the day's events. Some thoughts are things that have already happened and remain for my conscious to ponder. And finally, there is a third layer, almost a mist, of seemingly random memories that have for reasons unknown stuck in the cobwebs of my mind.

Sometimes I wonder why that third layer lingers. Images from childhood sometimes. Other times a slice of a memory I cannot place, but I know it was from a while ago. The mind is powerful, but cannot keep everything in the foreground of our thoughts, as it would be overwhelming and too complex for us to operate with so many memories and images flashing in in front of us. There are things from our lives, though, that are placed in the whirlwind of subconscious that remains ever-twirling as we go through our days.

These past few weeks in the Orelove family have been like a whirlwind of sorts. With the school year now in full tilt, we have all adjusted to our daily schedules and enjoy our time apart, and reuniting every afternoon to play, eat, and read bedtime stories. It is Audrey's birthday in a couple days, and I am reminded of what a special time this is for a child. The world is a big, fast place that often overlooks the young. It is important to celebrate children, and birthdays are a great way of doing so. Feeling special is and experience I want my children to have often, but when the entire family focuses their love and attention on them each year, the feelings and emotions are heightened exponentially. Of course there are presents and gifts that factor into the equation, but the best gift is the love and recognition Audrey will receive and how her confidence will grow as a result of it.

The Jewish New Year is also here, and I am happy to wish my family a healthy and happy transition during this time of renewed faith celebration. New years are cyclical events that allow us pause for reflection and gives us the opportunity to adjust our lives and assess the paths and relationships we are forging. Are we happy? Can I be better? Does this way make me a stronger person? How can I change to make my life more powerful? How can I help others? These are some of the questions I ask myself during this period. Sometimes I have answers, other times I can only hope to remain aware of the question as I move forward seeking an answer.

So here we are, all in our own little cyclones of thought and memories and hopes and dreams...all twirling around this world, sometimes colliding with others, sometimes all alone. We have these thoughts and dreams and memories and ideas all working in one way or another to provide each of us a unique outlook on life, and if we are lucky, we find other people who share some of these shards and can understand our perspective a little and sympathize with our lens through which we see things. Ultimately, many of the bits and pieces of life get caught in the cobwebs of our minds. Sometimes we find them and examine them more closely, and some of them remain there, unidentified, yet still impacting how we see the world.