Before you

There were a few instances in my life when I remember stopping time

During times of unique silence that extended past just the absence of sound

When I noticed the kind of quiet that you feel in your soul

I had paused to reflect on where I was

Who I was

Why I was

And consciously reminded myself to absorb what I felt

To remember those minutes

Marking them like lampposts across the hazy memories of my life

Like the dots I’d placed on these moments could be connected at the end of my life

Revealing a map to find the person I’d become

Stopping time was intentional

A tool I used

Meaningful, yes…but still done consciously with a purpose

 

But then there was you

The first moment I saw you, the very second you entered this world, was when time stopped on its own

I looked at you, instantly committing the lines of your face to memory

I listened to you, the first sounds you made fundamentally changing the person I was

I held you, and felt you fall into place on my chest like the last piece of a puzzle

And involuntarily

…naturally

…beautifully

…almost imperceptibly

…time stopped

Because where I was

Who I was

Why I was

Suddenly collided in you

After you, I no longer had to consciously stop time to remember my moments

After you, my moments became our moments and my life became our life

After you, I didn’t need to create a map of dots to find me

After you, I became me