Point Zero
It is the eve of our departure for our pilgrimage to Assisi, so we have named it day zero, like Point Zero in front of Notre Dame de Paris — the point from which all distances in France are measured. Zero is nothing, right? Or is it creating space which can now be filled? Emptiness inviting fullness. Certainly there is anticipation and a touch of anxiety. Will Judy’s knee hold up? Will we get lost with no GPS to guide us? Will we find places to spend each night?
We are reminded of a wonderful Nathaniel story, told to us by a teacher who overheard the whole conversation. When he was in first grade, Teacher Jeff asked the class to pick any color of clay they wanted for their next art project. Nathaniel chose a chunk of white clay, and a classmate observed that white wasn’t a color. “Yes it is,” replied Nathaniel. “It’s just like zero. It’s nothing, but it’s still a number.”
“Wait, zero is a number?” his classmate asked with surprise.
“Yeah. Last year it wasn’t. This year it is. You know how teachers are.”
Well. We DO know how teachers are, and we are very aware that we are not in school this month spreading confusion as has been our practice for a few decades. Retirement is still feeling a bit like playing hooky, but we are adjusting nicely.
