February 2024 – Paul's Blog

Seeing From the Inside

Last week, I watched a Broadway production of Our Town. (It’s delightful, and free on YouTube.)

It was my first exposure to Wilder’s play, and it was wonderful, on multiple levels.

One of the main themes (it seems to me) is that it is a real challenge to see the wonder of one’s life from the inside of that life, in real time, as we live it.

There are many reasons why this could be true: the uncharitable noise inside one’s head, daily demands, anxiety or false imaginings about the about the future… it is no surprise that the wonder of the present life gets out of focus.

But in Our Town, Thornton Wilder arranges for us the conditions to see the simple beauty of his characters’ lives from the outside, which allows us to return to our our own lives with greater wonder and clarity.

The Impermanence of Ability

Our bodies enable us to do remarkable things. None of these abilities is permanent.

Clarity of thought.

Strength of sight.

Dexterity and balance.

Durability of concentration and memory.

Strength of muscles, joints, bones.

In my longevity’s best case scenario, I will live long enough to experience the decline of these things.

Given this, to what will I dedicate my days?

Sandra Boynton and the Necessity of Birthday Cakes

Our younger son just turned five, so we do not reach for the Sandra Boynton volumes much these days.

Still, I often recall my indebted to Ms. Boynton’s work, especially for this gem of an essay published in 2021, around a year into the pandemic.

I find it, as a parent (and especially as a parent who can sometimes undervalue a thing like a birthday cake), to be an essential reorientation around “what is essential.”

So, parents, thanks for the work that you do, especially in the provisioning of light-heartedness in the life of your littles.

The Tent

Last Saturday morning, our sons wondered: Where was our camping tent? Could we put it up in the attic to play in?

A bit of context on this tent.

Once described by a friend as “the condominium,” this tent is wildly fun. It is a beautifully crafted, with shockingly large dimensions for how sturdy it is… one of those feats of elegant engineering that makes you proud to be a human being. We stalked the delivery truck for days when it was on its way.

Here is a low quality yet illustrative photo of its dimensions and the Duplo village inside.

And, when we put it up in last weekend, I realized it had been nearly three years since we had used it. Three years! What?! How did that happen?!

I often forget things like this… and also things more fundamental… those resources and realities that, when acknowledged and engaged, lead to an abundant, grounded life.

In other words, what we need is here.