Ephemeral

Ephemeral...you either know the meaning of it-or not. I confess until I looked it up the other day, I had a different notion of its meaning. It's one of those words people are afraid to use in a sentence, because it is harder to say than most everyday words. Also, it's meaning is so simple that the complexity of the word lends itself to a "hoity-toity-ness" people might raise an eyebrow at.

It simply means: lasting a short time; usually only a day. I always seem to think of food in some way when I write about ideas or memories. Like the time in Chicago I had a bowl of split pea soup from Smith and Wolinsky in 1998. I have not had a bowl of soup that delicious since then. That split pea soup to me was...ephemeral: lasting only 8 minutes.

In nature: ice sculptures, falling leaves or snow, icicles and puffy white clouds are ephemeral.

In media: brands, reputation, ideas

In art: still life portraits. These are one of my favorite forms of art. Famous artist from the past spent painstaking hours capturing a moment in time for us to enjoy. The still life to your left is obviously a contemporary work of art, but it immediately transports my emotions to comfort, laughter, even work.

Happiness is ephemeral too. It isn't a constant so it needs to be replenished. It is a "sensation which is felt by a person for a certain period of time before needing replenishment."

This is the perfect time of year to be mindful of ephemeral things. To capture them in our hearts and try to replenish them as soon as possible. I'd like to think we can be in a perpetual state of ephemeral-ness...replenishing that which only lasts for a short time, each day.

That might be hard to grasp, but if I can devour that cinnamon roll and steaming cup of coffee today and replenish it tomorrow...I just may achieve ephemeral-ness! So go out and capture the ephemeral things in your life today...a newborn's smile, a falling snowflake, a romantic moment, a memorable cup of soup...you never know when it will come around again.