It has been a lovely extended weekend. Just the right mix of celebration and relaxing. Between this weekend and last I have had more than my share of hot dogs, hamburgers and pasta salad. My skin is a little red and my swim trunks have seen good use. Life is good. I am engaged to be married and I spent today hanging out with my future in-laws. My soon to be nephew called me Uncle Jim. It was a good Memorial Day.
Then, driving home tonight while the sun was setting I was consumed by a peaceful feeling. I realized that in many ways we are living in our own imagination. As people we build all sorts of physical things like houses, roads and airplanes. But we build less tangible things too like interpersonal relationships. We imagine who we are and how we fit in with the world. It was an intensely peaceful thought. I can only hope that everybody in the world gets to experience that peace at some point in their lives but I know that can't be true.