007.

At the farm, in the midst of the most gorgeous garden, is a Japanese maple. It is thirty years old, and one of the most magnificent trees I've ever seen.

The two days I spent on the farm did more to diminish four years of worrying than any amount of logic. You see, I have been terrified of aging. I know that with age comes wisdom (hopefully), but the thought of losing my memory or being betrayed by my body again, becoming as helpless (or even more so) as a child again...it scares me. But that farm, it wouldn't be what it is without the time it's been established. The garden wouldn't be as lush, or the people as calm (all the rough edges worn away).

Even my mentors, the writer S and the photographer D, hada friendship and camaraderie and one-ness that only comes with time (and a deep compatibility). I hope to achieve that level of rapport with someone someday.

I learned this week that time isn't an enemy. It isn't a thief. Time simply is, and is required for many of the qualities I admire in people.