Losing Track of Time (by Nancy Ohlin)

When my son was little, he used to say:  “Let’s go to Mrs. London’s and lose track of time.” Because that’s what one did at a lovely, fancy bakery like Mrs. London’s—drink tea, eat gorgeous pastries, and not have anything else to do or anywhere else to be.

New Year’s is a holiday when one is all too aware of the passing of time.  I know that lately, I’ve been thinking (and thinking and thinking) about what I did and didn’t accomplish in 2015 ... and how did it get to be the end of December already? … and here’s what I absolutely need to get done in 2016 … and so on. 

As the clock ticks toward midnight, though, I’m trying not to dwell on any of that.  I’m remembering Mrs. London’s and those buttery, sugary, happy-lazy afternoons when Christopher and I would linger over too-expensive scones and watch the snowflakes tumbling and swirling outside ... nothing else to do, nowhere else to be. 

So to all of you:  I wish you a very Happy New Year, and I hope you have many occasions to lose track of time in 2016.