“All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.” ~Charles Lamb
It is quite incredible the magnificent changes that the passage of time brings, whether we are prepared for them or not...
A couple of weekends ago, my husband Michael and I decided to renew our lapsed membership to a beautiful and very well-known garden/library here in Los Angeles.
The place made its way very strongly into our consciousness once again, and we began reminiscing about the wonderfully inspiring times we had there over the years and the incredible pleasure and enrichment it had brought to our souls.
We realized how much we missed going there, and so we decided to purchase a membership renewal to be able to enjoy all that it had to offer once again.
We were aware that the grounds had been under pretty heavy construction/renovation for the past few years, but when we had last been there, we had only seen little glimpses of the very early work that was only just beginning. We did not know the grand scope of the project.
So when we arrived at the gardens to purchase our renewal and to have a nice visit with our “old haunt”, we were completely shocked at how different it all looked and felt.
When the familiar becomes unrecognizable, it can, at first, be jarring; but when given a beat and a moment to take things in, we often realize that there can truly never be a loss of anything that once was, only a renewal.
While the changes were quite stunning and incredibly practical, we could hardly recognize certain portions of the grounds, and had to reacquaint and re-familiarize ourselves with things and how they now functioned.
And while we were so very glad to have renewed our new membership, and thoroughly enjoyed the work that had been done—all the upgrades, the new paths, the new features, the new areas—many aspects of it felt quite foreign to us, and totally new.
Our “old haunt” had, in many ways, been buried under the rubble when things were knocked down and remodeled, and all that was left were the images in our recollections and in our mind's eye.
I personally have very vivid memories of taking my son there from the time he was just a baby in his stroller, and the way certain spaces and places there looked and felt; and these changes felt a little like a loss in some ways.
The entrance way where my son used to skip on ahead of me when he was three or four was no longer there in the same way that it used to be, nor were certain paths, nor certain structures that we used to frequent together hand-in-hand.
All of these areas had been dramatically changed and upgraded, and seemed completely unfamiliar, and that made me feel as if our little footprints and our very essence, in a way, had been swept away with the debris in the restructuring...
But the beauty of life is that change is always occurring.
Life cannot and will not stand still.
Things are always either being upgraded and refreshed, or they are being left completely undisturbed and are slowly decaying until they crumble and dissolve into dust...
But either way, there is change. And one is for the purpose of life and rebirth, and one is for the purpose of death and an ending.
And somewhere in between the two are where our memories and those precious moments that we cherish and hold dear will forever reside.
That is where things are held still, and remain untouched.
When the familiar becomes unrecognizable, it can, at first, be jarring; but when given a beat and a moment to take things in, we often realize that there can truly never be a loss of anything that once was, only a renewal.
That in a way, what was still exists, only on an inner level, woven into the fabric of one's soul where it is forever safe, intact, and whole.
This experience with renewing our membership to our special place, our “old haunt”, was such an interesting and deeply rich one, and shed a lot of light on how much we often desire the familiar things in our lives to remain familiar, and not change or shift in any way.
The very real lesson for me was that nothing, indeed, can be held suspended and perfectly still in perpetuity, simply to keep things comfortable and as they were in my mind.
And that even those familiar things that have become unrecognizable in some way will one day, too, become familiar...
All it takes is some time.
Taste what's good and pass it on.
Ingrid
“From The Heart” is a space for me to share some of my more personal thoughts on life. Here you'll find my reflections on my own inner/spiritual journey; on being a wife and mother; on being a creative; and general observations, pretty much whatever is on my mind.
I whole-heartedly believe that sharing "from the heart" with one another is what connects us, heals us, and inspires us! Glad you're here...
Kim
I also love this place you talk about and have witnessed many changes over the years. How exciting that your old haunt is now a new place to explore and create memories in.
The Cozy Apron
Kim, what a small world! Isn’t is an amazing place?
My hubby & I have started a new “ritual” there, having afternoon coffee in the pretty commissary on Saturdays, whenever we can . (That Illy Coffee tastes so good! ☕️ )
It’s been such an interesting place to explore in a new way, while still enjoying some of those “sacred” spaces that have stayed the same, and most likely always will.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me!