7 Degrees

Seven years is such a long time. I lay in bed this morning and caught the first glimpse of the sun peeking out above the mountains in the distance, trying to decide if 7 years was a long time ago or not. Time seems rushed and stalled at once, like the eddies and pools of a river. Olivia is doing a presentation today at school about her dad. It is a big step for her. She is someone who keeps the event and her dad's whereabouts a closely held secret. I see it as a positive step for her. Initially her advisor asked me to come and speak, but Olivia, being 13 was mortified at the idea of her mom coming to school to speak to her friends, so she wanted to do it on her own. She is going to show the photo montage that we showed at Arron's memorial service and play the interview I did here in Seattle on KUOW. She is going to talk about what she remembers from that day, something I don't even know. I think she is beginning to realize that despite herself, she is going to be thrust into a public role every year on this day. I have no doubt that she will handle it with her usual grace and dignity. The sun blazes in the a sky that is eerily similar to that one 7 years ago, but here in Seattle, the light is just a tiny bit different, as though the sun is tilted on an axis perhaps 1 degree off of the sun in New York. I am thankful for that 1 degree of difference. Perhaps I will measure the time lapse in degrees as well. I am 7 degrees separated from that event now, like the sun in Seattle that makes the leaves seem to be a slightly different colour. I will be appearing on The Agenda with Steve Paikin tonight at 8pm in Toronto. Or view it tomorrow, online here.