Change

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Isn’t it funny how some everyday things change without us really noticing, until suddenly, the most common items have become relics? I had a rare sighting of a once-common setup: a phone booth, complete with an ashtray and all. I’m not even sure the next generation would know how to use it, and they would certainly be horrified to see someone standing there, smoking while casually chatting on the phone… for the three minutes their dime allowed.

Yes, a dime. Then a quarter. And then, gone from every street and building, as if they disappeared overnight. I appreciate that this one has been captured in time, preserved just as it stood. It resides in a once-popular club that used to host every prom, wedding, and event under the sun. These days, it’s still busy, but certainly not as busy as it once was.

I had organized a state conference for my work, hosting it at this fantastic location, which was perfect for our needs. Waking up at 3:45 a.m. to get myself together, writing, feeding the chickens and the cat, and then arriving for setup by 6:45 a.m., all while looking put together and ready to speak in front of a room full of people, no big deal. I’m pleased to say it all went amazingly well. And although my brain immediately goes to, “How can this be even better next year?” the attendees seemed very happy with this year’s results.

Tim joined me after work and mingled with my crew, and then we packed up and joined one of the vendors for a relaxing dinner. The room had been filled with vendors earlier, but Colin always seems to be the one to organize something fun after events. While chatting with him, he mentioned having a house right on the Bay of Fundy… one of my bucket-list destinations. 

Isn’t it funny how the universe works?

Now I just need to find a slice of time to get away.....which, as it turns out, may be the hardest part of all.

That preserved phone booth feels like a much needed pause in time, while the tides of the Bay of Fundy move endlessly, both reminders that change can be sudden, yet also beautifully constant.

“Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change.” ~ Thomas Hardy