Monday 24 January 2011

Big Moments, Small Moments


It has been a weekend of really big moments.





Shaking the University Chancellor's hand, holding a certificate with my name on it, my parents' grins as I meet them in my gowns; these were all moments that resonated with much more significance than I had expected. A day of celebration, of reunion, of joy about what was and what is now.

The beating of thousands of trainers on concrete, the bright colours stretching out miles ahead, and the absolute agony of 2 hours of repeated motion. My Dad's face as he ran to meet me before the finish line, and the surge of energy as the end approached. Taking home a new personal best, a creaking hip and an unquenchable thirst.



Moments such as these will be remembered for as long as I have the ability to remember freely, but they are always accompanied by something much less memorable, yet still so important. The small moments built around these landmarks also deserve recognition of their own, as without these the big things would seem so much more difficult. Freeing myself of my graduation gowns and taking home the achievement within me, something to carry alongside me for the rest of my life. That first sip of a pint of local cider as we toast the weekend's glories, accompanied by the relief that we can now relax, drink beer and eat pizza to our heart's content. The sudden falling-into-place of my hips, back and knees as I crunch into a forward lift, my joints singing with joy as they realign. A Monday spend lazily in bed, then on the couch, taking time off work to recover and enjoy the recovery. The sun beating down on Daniel's back in the yard, as he fixes his bike on a glorious January morning. The smoothness of Greek yogurt and the sweetness of pear; one of my all-time favourite breakfast combinations.

All of these small things frame the bigger things, putting them in perspective when perspective has been so absent for so long. The big moments occur every now and then, and they are wonderful when they do, but they are not life. Life can't be made up of achievement after achievement, after all, life has to carry on in small steps with the occasional leap into madness.

5 comments:

  1. Congratulations for all the moments, big and small. Especially realigning your hips. If you could share that secret I'd be forever grateful... x

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  2. Hehe, I'm not sure my hips will ever be correctly angled, but having them slot back into their wonky but perfectly usual position felt wonderful! I'm about to try out the first of my yoga subscriptions - some hip opening might be the best thing right now! :-)

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  3. What a weekend.
    Many congratulatons on your graduation.
    Lisa x

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  4. My hips are beyond hope. I can barely do my own hip opening sequence ;)

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  5. Awwww your graduation! Well done! I've got 2 weeks left of my M.A.! I keep procastinating though - I've got a big presentation to write and I keep going to Etsy and other similarly naughty places! Any tips and advice???

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