Moments...

That moment when you are staring out the window… your eyes wide open… unblinking. That moment when you see everything and nothing… at the same time. That moment when you are lost… but also right there.

This… is followed by the rude awakening to the immediate surroundings. An instance of fleeting embarrassment as you catch yourself enjoying an impossible fancy. Another to smile inwardly at your inner child… consoling… placating. One more to shrug off the temporary trance world that had claimed your thoughts. And then… it’s back to reality.

That moment of breathless anticipation… not knowing if she will smile or frown. That moment after you have made yourself vulnerable… put yourself out there. That moment when you have just taken the leap of faith… the shot in the dark… and don’t know whether you will fall or fly. That moment, when before she responds… you suddenly have wings.

And then… you get shot down. Your hopes get crushed and shame floods your veins. You are rewarded for your impulsive words by a rejection that is harsh and jarring. Your hopes and your adrenalin drain… your dreams shatter. As you watch her walk away… all thoughts of the moment of exhilaration have faded from memory.

The moment when you get your first job. Your exuberant voice rings out over the campus. You smile, you beam you cry for joy… that you are finally the master of your life. Celebrate with friends… before rushing home to tell them the good news. Anticipate the moment of joy when pleasure will flood their faces… the satisfaction and reward for all their hopes and dreams.

And then… to stop dead on the threshold and witness the horror. Only one of your intended audience remains. The other couldn’t wait for your news… for your success. The moment of standing frozen on your own doorstep… as shock battles sorrow… and loss battles despair. The joys of a moment past… are no longer in sight.

That moment when after the anxious waiting, the doors finally open. That moment when a little white bundle is handed to you and you gently peer inside. That moment when you first hear your child’s shrill cry… more captivating than the songs of the Siren.

And then you see the solemn faces that wait nearby. You sense your heart pound as you realize all isn’t well. Your blood drains from your limbs, as dread claims your mind. A mad dash into her chambers to bid farewell to the one you loved. It’s too late. You were two… and two you remain. Not three for a single minute.

That moment when he finally returns from the interview. You see his smile and know the news. Your own face is radiant with his success. You embrace your only family… wordless for the joy that chokes you. One moment of sheer pride at the triumph that isn’t your own.

Then… he tells you that he will have to leave. One moment of shock as you hear his destination. You know your days are numbered and so are your hours together. The joy of the preceding moment dies… smothered by the grief of the imminent departure.

In pairs… a life’s greatest joys and horrors. Locked in a mad dance of cosmic balance. Out to prove that life isn’t a bed of roses or thorns… with deadly finesse. Striking routinely in each other’s hours of glory. And harmony is retained at the pain of the human soul.

Life and death… success and failure… pleasure and pain.

And at the end of the day… “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da….”