Speed

The nearest mall is located about an hour away by car. That's only one of the reasons we don't go there very often. I needed to go the Apple Store at the mall to have the folks at The Genius Bar look at my son's Ipod. As "online savvy" as I think I am, I didn't read up about making an appointment via the internet first. The store was very busy when I got there (I'm grateful to the associate who helped me appointment notwithstanding). Walking through the mall, standing in the Apple Store, and driving in the congested business district all made me feel like an alien on a distant planet. I didn't recognize anything or anyone. Since my last visit there (two or three years ago?), my favorite bookstore had been demolished, the avenue was widened to eight lanes, most of the stores had turned over, fashions had changed, prices had risen, etc. Change. The house we lived in just last year has a new tenant. We peeked inside this weekend to see that the bathroom had been repainted. The entire second floor had been remodeled. My favorite (enormous) ancient tree, which grew by the house's back steps, was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. A friend, a tree climber,finished taking it down this weekend. We examined the giant stump, and the rings that tell the tale of growth. There were rings wider than his thumb, showing that the tree had grown very rapidly over the last thirty years. My children are growing quickly also. This morning I heard an interview with Formula 1 Driver Mario Andretti. He spoke about how blurry things look outside the window when he drives 190+ mph. He keeps his eyes fixed on the track and his senses in tune with the vehicle. Perhaps this is what I need to do to better manage the pace of change all around me. I can't possibly take it all in. Eyes on the track. Speeding ahead.