Today, February 29, is Leap Day, making 2016 a Leap Year. It takes the earth exactly 365.2422 days to complete an orbit around the sun. An extra day is added every four years to properly keep our calendars and clocks in sync with the earth and its seasons.
So what to do with this gift of an extra day? This is the first leap year that I’ve experienced since I began blogging daily in 2014. I knew I wanted to acknowledge this special day.
After considering several options, I suddenly had an idea. I’ve wanted to create a time capsule since my Year of Firsts. I had intended for my whole family to participate but never got around to pulling this event together. Today I decided it was the perfect time, on a day outside of time, to create the capsule. And rather than try to coordinate my whole family adding to the capsule, I made it a very personal experience. Instead of setting an opening date far into the future, this time capsule will be opened by me, on the next leap year, February 29, 2020
I began by writing a letter to my future self. I wrote about my journey this year, about my word and symbols and song for 2016 and what it means to me to live in the flow of surrender. I included the activities I enjoy, what my passions and desires are in life, and how I’ve returned to writing. Lastly, I wrote about where I see myself in four years. This four page letter was folded and sealed within an envelope.
I added symbolic items to my time capsule, things that will remind me of where I am, right now, at this time of my life. Here’s what I included:
Along with my letter, I included a wrist band from TUT that says, “Thoughts become things…choose good ones.”
The gemstones, amethyst and hematite, remind me that I am a healer, and very aware of energy and how it flows. The angel pin represents the Divine and protection. The silver heart is my Mithril heart, strong and beautiful and full of light.
These pieces are left over from an art project. The camera represents travel and creativity. The I PICK YOU card reminds me that the most important relationship that I have, after my connection to God, is with myself. Which is why I added the THIS IS TRUE HAPPINESS ticket. Having a deep and amazing relationship with myself does create true happiness. The friendship card represents my circle of family and friends who journey with me.
And the word hello…I didn’t intend to add that cutout to the box. I tried to return it to its plastic bag several times, but it kept falling at my feet. Finally I picked it up and kept it for inclusion. Now I’ll laugh four years from now when I open the box and see hello!
In this assortment, the ink pen symbolizes my writing and blogging, and my desire to become a published author. The dried lavender is from my garden, which is one of my great joys. Representing my love and enjoyment of coloring is the blue colored pencil. And the wooden acorn is my secondary symbol from last year. It represents my journey, memorializes the important people in my life who have passed on, and it is a nod to The Hobbit films, symbolizing my love of movies, of JRR Tolkien and literature, AND of Middle Earth and Rivendell.
These symbols represent my year. The stone is a river rock that I picked up as I walked along Shoal Creek. It has my symbol of the River drawn on it, along with my word Surrender. This rock also represents my song for 2016, Just Around the River Bend. The arrow has become my secondary symbol for this year. A solitary arrow represents defense and protection from harm. It can also be used as a symbol of movement or direction. The arrow works in sync with my river symbol, which represents the flow of life.
All the items went into a small cardboard box with a lid. I taped the box shut and added a sign to the top, with the words, DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2/29/20. The box is tucked away where it can be forgotten for four years.
I’m thrilled with the way this idea came together! It was fun to at last create a time capsule, on a special day that brings time into alignment. I look forward to opening the box in four years and remembering this day, and reading the letter from the past.
Happy Leap Day!
