"And in the end I think I've learned the final lesson from my travels in time; and I've even gone one step further than my father did: The truth is I now don't travel back at all, not even for the day, I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life." 
                                      - Tim, from "About Time"
Earlier this summer I watched "About Time", one of those little pleasures that comes out of nowhere. I hadn't heard of it before it was in the theaters, or seen it advertised when it was out, or even heard about it after it came to DVD. And this is all despite the fact that I've enjoyed pretty much every movie I've ever seen done by About Time's director. Yet there Annalise was, telling me that I might enjoy it. And I'd have to say that she was wrong. I didn't just enjoy it. It's changed my life. 

I plan on watching it at least once a year. After it was over I wanted to watch it again and hope to feel the same way. I saw the movie "Once", once, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But I never had a deep urge to see it again (no great objection to doing so, just no need) because I was worried that there was no way I could feel that way again. But with "About Time" each day that passes that I do NOT see it again I feel ever more strongly that not only will it give me another great experience, but that it might even give me more. 

The reason for that is in the quote that I opened with. It does not happen every day, but a good many days since I first watched the movie I have found myself enjoying a moment and just sitting back, and saying to myself "enjoy this." It's not like I'm attempting to commit them to memory more fully than other moments. I couldn't even begin to tell you one moment, off the top of my head, that I felt this thought. But what I can tell you is that the sum of all those moments is that I have managed, despite being a relatively happy person, to feel just a bit happier over the last few weeks since watching that movie.

And so, I return to this blog, which I had hoped once upon a time to be something that I did regularly to work towards publishing something, anything. But now I wish to document moments. Moments that make me feel deeply, whether pleased, in love, proud, happy...you name it, as long as it's positive. Moments where I sit and say to myself "enjoy this."  

The first such little moment was tonight, when Claire asked Annalise "What are you considering?" Lately Claire has taken to saying things such as "I was considering going outside", or "I was considering having some dessert." This was the first time she used considering to inquire as to the plans of others, for she wasn't just asking "what are you thinking?". No, in context it was clear that she meant it to say "What are you planning on doing right now?" The clarity with which both Annalise and I understood that to be her intent made me smile. Not one of those "I'm as happy as I've been in two months" smiles. Just a little "I appreciate this girl of mine" smile. She uses fantastically large words for her age. I couldn't begin to tell you all of them, other than recalling that "apparently" makes it into speech quite often, as well. I do know that she likely picks them up listening to her talkative father. However, it's how she makes them all her own that makes every little instance of it perfect.