Rhythms

Ever notice your own heart beating?

My uncle couldn't make it to his car from the house in the village. He's currently in the hospital waiting to have his pacemaker replaced. His daily rhythm was interrupted by his physical one. He passes time by completing crossword puzzles. Ever get a rush from unlocking that key word in a crossword? The one word that puts a spark in your brain setting off the rest? I delight on such a moment, so much so that I tune out nearly everything else.

Ever sit silently somewhere and just listen?

Bus doors slam open just after brakes scream. Cars rev out of first and into second shortly after lights turn green. A yiayia's gait is measured by the turn of the wheels on her shopping cart rolling behind her. Papous conversations are punctuated by the click-clack-click of a komboloi.

Ever notice the beach has it's own rhythm?

Waves hit the shore. Pickleball paddles talk to each other. Pop! Pop! Back. And forth. Foreigners try to sell you things. "Ne-rooow parka-looow. Ne-rooow parka-looow." "Mah-saz?" (Up on "Mah," down on "saz.") "Mah-saz?" It's The squeal of small children as they run in and out of the sea.

Ever consider your own rhythm?

My rhythm isn't so fine or granular. It starts with morning coffee on the veranda overlooking a sea (of cars) while contemplating the shape of the day. It'll include some writing and thinking. A midday "volta" allows me time to enjoy the sights, sun, or company of a relative--best case brings all three. A nap is ideal but not a given. An evening outing is always welcome. Remains of my day are weighed on the veranda, car-spotting, while enjoying the twinkling lights of Piraeus in the distance, the smell of salt water, and the moon overhead. It's reading myself to sleep.

My rhythm at home is very different from the one here (lack of a veranda is just the hors d'oeuvre). I'm just now beginning to see how my rhythm affects my mood. I like knowing that a pattern to my day makes it richer. And I like how I am coming to realize that getting back into my desired rhythm, regardless of locale, might be easier than I thought. Probably because now I'm aware of it.

Though that veranda sure does help.