“If one lives long enough, circles close.”
One week, three circles…closed…
The line in the title of this week’s post comes from a book I listened to and wrote about a while ago, and it’s a line that has been echoing in my life these days, for a number of reasons. If you’re interested in (re-)visiting the details, they are here.
I’m in the throes of Week Three at work after six nights away last week and overall my focus has been on trying to focus, doing a good job, having fun, striking a balance, not getting overwhelmed, and keeping it all real.
As a result, my extracurricular pursuits feel a bit limited of late, but there’s still plenty to talk about…so we might as well get to it.
On the telly…
My TV-watching has been spotty, but still I’ve been enjoying a few things on the small screen.
Derry Girls. We had one night where we both needed a laugh and so we tuned in to Season 3. And laugh we did. With an assist from subtitles, I chuckle my way through the ridiculousness of the hijinks in each episode.
Somebody Somewhere. This is one that I watch solo…so when I had solo time in my hotel room last week I started on Season 2 and watched the first three episodes. (They’re under 30 minutes each.) One of them had me convulsing with laughter, bordering on hyperventilating, and teetering on the brink of an asthma attack. If you have HBOMax, do yourself a favor and start watching. If you do watch and have seen these episodes, all I can say is “St. Louis Sushi.” 😂😂😂
Firefly Lane. I started watching this show in 2021 when I was stuck on the couch with my wrist broken in a million pieces. I didn’t love it then but when the new season came out, I had so see how things turned out for the Firefly Lane girls. The show continued to annoy me in all the ways it had previously, but the series ending was satisfying. So there’s that.
Ginny & Georgia. Loved the first season but am distracted by Georgia’s eyebrows in the latest one…though not so much so that I don’t notice the slow pace of the plot. But I’ll hang in there and watch when I’m half asleep or half paying attention. I have a bad habit of sticking with bad tv and and bad books. 🤦🏼♀️ Trying to break it…I always want to believe that it will get better but I need to do a better job cutting my losses. I know.
Survivor. Good season, though I fall behind and catch up and trying to avoid spoilers in the interim is tiring. But since I am focusing on my social game in the new fully remote work environment, I’ll stick with it and maybe I’ll pick up some tips. Goal: don’t get voted off the island.
Sports. Still reeling from the Bruins early playoff exit, a pain that is only very slightly offset by the Panthers continued progress. Strong team, strong play…and a loud and clear lesson on peaking at the right time.
Not Jeopardy. I’ve fallen behind on the regular edition and forgot to record Jeopardy Masters. Maybe if I have insomnia soon I’ll catch up…and I’m definitely more interested in Masters than regular at this point. It’s a whole different game (show) without Alex Trebek.
Now that I’ve typed all that and look at that list it appears as though I have a full-time job watching TV. 😂
But while I am speaking of TV, I am still stewing over a news story I watched last night, about another shooting. It is completely absurd that in New Mexico an 18-year-old can legally buy a gun but not a beer…I can’t get over how f-cking ridiculous it is.
Between the covers…
Been reading a lot (lot!) during the day so maybe that’s why I’m watching more TV than I realized and reading less. I finished Shadow of the Wind which I wrote about last time. It was different than what I typically read, but I enjoyed it…bonus points because my nephew recommended it so highly and it gave me a glimpse into his mind, his likes and dislikes…and it definitely has further fueled my interest in traveling to Spain.
I recently started Bono’s Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story because I’ve been so into U2’s Songs of Surrender album, essentially the book’s soundtrack. I’m not sure how I feel about it on a “literary” level, though I am enamored of Bono’s lyricism and otherworldly depth of feeling. He is a true artist. Brilliant in so many ways and on so many levels. Also, by way of update, Bono has yet to express interest in U2 playing a full 40-song album set out in the yard this summer but now that the pool is open maybe he’ll reconsider. And honestly I’d be fine if he played only half the album without the full band. Fingers crossed.
And that’s really it on the book front.
In the kitchen…
Been big into these Air Fryer Sriracha Chicken Tenders that I freestyled on:
The air fryer makes a great piece of chicken. Hit me up if you want my secret recipe.
Last night I tried a new sheet pan pesto gnocchi recipe, and it was very good:
New routines disrupt old routines so I’m honoring that and not putting too much pressure on myself to do too much outside of the 9-5. If I do, I know I’ll work myself into a frenzy. That said, since I was at Trader Joe’s yesterday I had the foresight to pick up some things for dinner tonight, another new recipe…maybe I will remember to report back next month. Or maybe I won’t. In any case, that’s what currently is happening in the kitchen at The 220.
And what’s spinning above the shoulders…(aka the circles closing)…
You may remember that last week I was on the grounds of the National Fire Academy. After I posted the newsletter I headed across the campus…before I go on, first let me say that while I loathe the circle of life and it’s my least favorite shape, I also happen to love me a good full-circle moment. So anyway, one of my proudest (the proudest, perhaps) professional accomplishments is working with the Boston Fire Department and others to establish a safety program in response to a 2014 fire that claimed the lives of two members of BFD. Anyway, I headed across the campus with purpose and as the sun rose over the National Fallen Fiefighters Memorial, I was able to have a very gratifying-yet-emotional full-circle moment at the marker honoring the final sunset of both Lt. Walsh and FF Kennedy.
When my business concluded on Wednesday I headed to DC where I was staying until Sunday. Big family celebration to honor my niece, who graduated from The Catholic University of America on Saturday. More on that in a bit.
My family wasn’t coming in until Thursday so on Wednesday night I was raring to go, but I was also alone. I fired up Yelp, and found the perfect place for beers and a burger…Churchkey, a short walk from the hotel. Very cool place, great beer, great burger.
On the walk home, I experienced another full-circle moment. One of my best friends was killed by a hit-and-run driver in DC in 1997, a driver who was never punished due to diplomatic immunity. I passed this place, and Peter’s spirit called me in. I sat at the bar, enjoyed an Old Fashioned, and I felt him with me. I always feel like I’m chasing his ghost when I’m in The District…last week I felt like I finally caught it. A bittersweet moment—bitters in the drink and sweet to have a moment with him.
I forgot how much fun I’m able to have by myself in the right conditions. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. 🤦🏼♀️
Early Thursday morning, my mom, sister, nephews, and one nephew’s girlfriend came to town (Kerri came later) for what was another full-circle moment for me. My niece was in the nursing program, and her pinning ceremony started promptly at 9:30AM, 60 years after my mom had been pinned. Watching my mom watch her granddaughter follow in her footsteps was a moment of pure joy.
To say those three full-circle moments really had my head spinning and my heart bursting…well, that would be a massive understatement, one of epic proportions.
Two days, three full circle moments.
“If you live long enough, circles close.”
I’m days away from turning 56, long enough to see circles closing. It’s gratifying watching things connect, link, and strengthen as the years go by.
There’s one more piece of the puzzle worth mentioning. Saturday’s commencement speaker was the renowned happiness scholar Arthur C. Brooks. The oversimplified takeaway from the speech is that happiness comes from within. But here’s the real kicker. Arthur C. Brooks told us that there are four happiness habits: faith, family, friendship, and work…and wouldn’t you know it but my three full-circle moments were tied to three of those happiness habits. Family (the pinning), friendship (Peter), and work (the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial). In that realization, I felt the Universe working in (to borrow/bastardize a line from the aforementioned U2) not-so-mysterious ways. It’s as if I had a peek at the Universe’s inner machinations…I saw the circles working together, cogs in the big machine. I saw my place in it all and I know beyond any doubt that it is the right one. Never have I felt such clarity, such purpose of place, and such pure happiness, accompanied by a healthy side of peace. It was such a beautiful mindf-ck.
Thanks for being here to accompany me as I revisit that beautiful mindf-ck of a journey. It wouldn’t be the same without you. Have a great week.
Love you too.
And because I just mentioned it:
Wonderful post Nicky. Please let me know if Bono says yes; happy to come down and help with the pool party.
Catching up on my reading on my day off.
Just a little sigh....those were such beautiful circles