Circles Opening and Closing

Life is never static. Just as we get used to things being a certain way, they change.

Sometimes I see my life as a series of large and small circles that open and close. Some of these stay open for a very long time. Others open and close in a matter of days or weeks.

For some of these, I can remember the precise moments when they opened. Others I become more aware of when they close.

At any given time, there are always many circles open. Then at regular intervals I have an awareness of one of them closing. Sometimes I can almost hear the satisfying click as that phase completes. I don't always know what it is that's over. I only feel that I have moved on.

In December I turned sixty. Since then I have felt myself stretching as a new circle opens, large and flexible. This is the circle of the writer as she steps out into the world with her words. It stretches me wide; I yawn open like an elastic band.

I have a feeling that it will be a very long time before I hear the snick as this one closes. This circle may be the largest one I've known yet.