The Dance of Days

Moving Through Life's Joyful and Sombre Rhythms

Writer and personal friend Seja Brumley joins us again to share a deeply moving narrative that beautifully illustrates the fullness of life through a blend of emotion and human connection. Seja writes:

It seems as though the days that feel the most full to me are ones comprised of such a beautiful mix of emotion and human interaction.

I spent a beautiful day yesterday sharing jewelry with the Bloomington and Indiana University community. So many wonderful people and so much love at the event. At the same time, I missed dear friends at my 30-year high school reunion. One of the best gifts yesterday was, while climbing into bed, a text popping up on my phone, a video from besties at the bar during the reunion, holding cocktails at 11:30 pm having so much fun. I laughed and cried a little at the same time. So much beauty. It felt like, in that moment, I was there with them.

I went to see my dad in the nursing home where he now lives. His dementia slowly advances. He greets me with light eyes and a big smile. He still knows I am his daughter, yet also is regaling me with the details from the flight he just took to California. The Cessna he was flying was a speedy one. It was a turbulent flight, he said, but full of adventure. One of the nurses we’ve come to love overhears this tale as well and smiles and winks at me. She then walks over, puts her arm around my dad, kisses the top of his head, and continues on with her work.

My mom called last night. She manages the house while now living alone. Her steep slope of a driveway is covered in snow. She’s not sure how to navigate its clearing. She then remembers the gentleman at the local Meineke, where my dad always took their car for repairs. When the Meineke employees discovered my dad moved to Bell Trace, they called my mother to tell her they would help her with anything she needed moving forward. She called them yesterday to see if any of them had a snow plow to take care of the drive. The employee on the phone replied they did not know of a plow but would call back if they found someone to take care of it. Thirty minutes later, my mother heard noise out in front of her home. The owner of that Meineke location and one of his employees were at my mother’s home, hand shoveling her walk and driveway. They left, not accepting payment.

There is so much beauty in this world. There is so much pain mixed in. It is what makes it whole. It is laughing while tears form in the corners of our eyes. It’s holding my dad’s hand while he falls asleep, celebrating my 30-year reunion from afar, and the men shoveling my mother’s driveway. It all exists in the same place. And it is beautiful.

Question

1. In what ways do I find beauty amidst the complexities and challenges of my own life?

Peace,

Seja