A Place in the World

Everyone wants a place in this world. Not off on to the sidelines, but a true place, with meaning and substance. A place where one feels the ground beneath one's feet, and where one can look up at the stars and feel like all is in order. There are days when this place feels assured. We're happy with our niche in the universe, and we walk through the day with confidence.

Holidays, even the minor ones like Memorial day, can bolster one's view of this happy world.  Or, as many of us know, cast us to those very sidelines where we have to watch what the world does when all is in order. Families with their flip flops and hats, going to the pool. Balloons attached to mailboxes to indicate a cookout. And there are the celebrations this time of year. Graduations, weddings, confirmations, first communions. More balloons. More cars parked on the street and laughter from back yards.

So from the sidelines we remember when it wasn't like this. When we had the balloons and the backyard laughter. When kids were running through the house with their dirty shoes. People were alive back then. Now they reside in our memories and in a photo album. Gone. Underground and and in the heavens, all at the same time. Odd, isn't it?

I stepped into the world of order and meaning this weekend to celebrate a birthday with friends and cosmos and cake. I was in a back yard with laughter and barbecue grills and presents.

The next day the sidelines were still there. But its ok. I can still watch the world spin.