The Time We Waste On Our Roses

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important" – Chapter 21, The Little Prince

What is the value of time? What is time well spent? We all have different views, but I believe that – as in so many things – Chapter 21 of The Little Prince answers life's big questions best. Unstructured time – unplanned, unscheduled, unfolding time is the most precious and valuable of all. 

Under any other circumstance, I would have scheduled today for a "boat day" – going out on a local boat that takes tourists to some of the most beautiful coves and small island around Patmos and allows everyone to jump off and swim. The Blue Grotto – the source of some of the richest aquatic blues I have ever seen – is a personal favorite and never gets old. To be surrounded by those blues – which nearly break the Pantone Matching System with their vividness  - is one of the best feelings. How often is one engulfed in a color? And of all colors, those blues….

We had a boat day on July 4, 2019 precisely because Emily and I had the day off. For the same reason, I wanted to do the same today. Only Dimitris of Grikos altered my plan. I needed him to look at the dryer and the circuit in the kitchen that keeps breaking. I was told his availability was scarce, so I took the appointment I could get. It didn't last long, but much was learned and a path forward to dryer and kitchen circuit prosperity is now clear. More on that another time.

The unintended effect was to give us a blank slate on the day. With no rush, no schedule, no agenda and no real Fourth of July to speak of – it was a day we could do whatever we wanted at whatever pace. Ailyn wanted the beach. Sennen wanted a break from the beach due to a sunburn. Yesterday, I took Ailyn to lunch and the beach while my mom and Sennen hung out in Skala. Today we reversed and Sennen and I dropped my mom and Ailyn at Kampos for several hours. 

My kids – like most people's – are best one-on-one and I enjoyed having alternating time with each these past two days. Today with Sennen, we did nothing and everything all at once. We priced dryers and refrigerators at two appliance stores in the New Marina, then headed to lunch at a new mezze cafe we had yet to try. Anyone who knows Sennen knows he's very verbal, but until you've had one-on-one time with him, you may not know that he is an excellent conversationalist. We had a great time at lunch and then proceeded home where we unsuccessfully attempted installing the PUR water filter I brought from the US and then went on to shop the IKEA website and measure spaces around the house in our attempt to finalize bed and mattress selections. The time for new mattresses is upon us – the uncomfortable situation can endure no longer, especially in light of my mom's bedtime nearly losing all its slats last night. We're literally on a shaky foundation.

I'm not sure where the time went, but we had fun. Sennen got good at measuring space, considering what we need from our house and what might optimize it for Airbnb usage. He was helpful.

Eventually my mom texted for us to pick up she and Ailyn. When we got home, everyone jumped into the act making our bed and mattress selections. As a family, we thought through our new home. We're making it ours – together. It's part of the project. Our life on Patmos will be more than vacation and whatever it becomes, we're doing it as a family.

Thankfully, I THINK we've made good choices, although I have contacted a few friends for final artistic consultations before placing the order.

When 5:00 rolled around, Sennen wanted to go to the big soccer field at the edge of town to see if he could get into a pick-up game with some local kids. We waited until closer to 6:00 when more people come out from their siestas. Sure enough, a group of local boys – perhaps a few years older than Sennen – were playing on the field. To my amazement, Sennen took his ball, walked onto the field and asked the Greek-speaking buys if he could join. I was uncertain whether or not they would understand him or how they would respond. Without hesitation, they welcomed him into their practice with a few words of English and off they went. Soccer is an international language unto itself.

I had Sennen wear his GPS watch so I could give him some freedom. I asked if he was ready and felt confident he could make his way home. He quickly let me know he was with the look that said, "Dad, GET OUT OF HERE!" So I went. Later, as I was writing this blog entry, he walked in the front gate, cool as a cucumber and happy as a clam.

It was a small thing in one regard – just a boy going to the local soccer field to join in a game. It was also a big thing – to engage with perfect strangers, but to be linguistically and culturally outside the circle. Sennen made it look easy and I was so proud. Occasionally, I see moments that show the effects of years of travel with the kids – their perspectives and approaches to life linked to interacting with the world. The soccer field was one of those moments.

What did we do today? Not much. We sat around the beach, a cafe and the living room. We walked to a soccer field and spent 20 minutes at an appliance shop. 

What did we do today? Everything. We spent time on each other – we wasted time on our roses. Most importantly, we breathed.

And we can always go diving off the boat on Thursday….

Happy Fourth of July to everyone at home!

Ailyn's rendering of her vision for our home