The title of this blog, 43560, is likely a fall back to a fondness for numbers, as is the title of our website, 10squarechains. I like numbers, I am not a mathematician, nor am I a fan of Sudoku. I am just fond of how numbers can represent facts cleanly. Unlike English where words spelled the same can mean different things, the number 2 doesn’t mean anything but 2. Well ok with numbers there is that whole irrational number thing, but numbers represent facts cleanly, at least most of the time. “Read” what tense is that? How do you pronounce it? Is “desert” a dry place, or something a coward does? You get the idea.
Today I ponder the number 40, not significant by itself as it could be used to describe a small volume in my business 40 bushels, or a large volume if you were a baker, 40 cups. In reality my 40 is much larger than the baker’s 40 but purpose and perspective change the meaning of the adjectives “large” or “small”. 40 yards the exact same measure can be seen as long or short. A seamstress, professional football player, or a marathon runner will each view 40 yards much differently. A 40 mile per hour pitch might seem slow, a 40 mile per hour go cart is fast. Is 40 seconds a long time? Depends, to an elemental physicist it could represent multiple life times of an element, an eternity. To a 400 meter sprinter 40 seconds is 3 seconds faster than a world record pace and would be a very “short” time. Even with a number’s exactness, like words, context and perspective will make a difference. 40 seconds. 40 hours, 40 days, 40 weeks, 40 months, 40 years. They can all be measures of a short time or an extremely long time, perspective is very important.
Perspective. At age 20 if you could have peered into my future 40 years you would have seen a multitude of career choices and job changes. Numerous vehicles. So many jobs and vehicles I doubt I could list them all. You would have seen multiple moves, back and forth across the country. There were a few successes and a few disappointments. You would have seen a few struggles, and a number of sleepless nights that lay in my future. There was music, countless stereos with albums in every format; vinyl, reel to reel, 8 track, cassette, CD, MP3, music now served to me online. There were several pets and of course five kids. All of this stretched over 40 years which at the time would appear as two lifetimes to that 20 year old… 40 years is along time.
Looking backwards, the same 40 years seems compressed, much shorter. It seems like a couple weeks ago we hosted a rehearsal dinner and our oldest was married, yet he now has two kids of his own. Today our youngest lives in China and is vacationing in Bangkok, wasn’t it last Sunday we were brushing tangles from her hair, rushing to church? There are three other children in between those with families of their own. 40 years. Our first Jan 29th DeAnn and I shared a milkshake as husband and wife, one of countless others we have shared the last 40 years. I stole fries from my wife for the first time that same evening, but that first crime wasn’t long ago. Jan 30th we were snowed in for the first time. Jan 31st we got lost in the big city for the first time. Looking back it wasn’t that long ago, those days seem not so distant, the memories clear and crisp. But, the car we drove that weekend I also remember well and it was a 1974 model. Those days had to be awhile back. To that 20 year old, 60 looks old and a long way off…40 years, from where I stand today, isn’t so long.
Perspective, have these last 40 years been long or short? During that time we have shared a lot, and yet not enough. We have shared a few things and but often too much. Perspective. Stretched over 40 years an occasional cross word may not seem much, looking back its way too many. We shared more dreams, yet, not enough. We shared only a few fights, more than enough. We shared more joy, but, too little. Some minutes of silent treatment, far too many. Hours of happiness but not enough. We have rarely shared anger, but way to often. A number of apologies but, far too few. We shared rare tears, more than needed. We shared an abundance of laughter, yet from today’s vantage point not enough. Too much or too little? A long time or too short? Perspective….
We have shared a lot of years but its not enough. 40.
David
Love this and both of you!