02 June 2009

...in other words...

Today's quote to think/comment on from ...in other words... is:

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

-- Albert Einstein, (attributed)


Hmm....I'd have to say this quote rings true with me, without even fully wrapping my brain around it. It reminds me of the old, "Don't measure your life by breaths, but by the moments that take your breath away."

I remember in middle school a friend and I got in a 'contest' to see who could write the most numbers. We pulled out notebook paper and started numbering...1, 2, 3, 4, 5,...you get the idea. It was going to go on for a week or so, if I recall correctly. I've always been an overachiever and figured I'd have a contest this simple in the bag. But she got grounded and won. She won because she was trapped in her house for the weekend. It really didn't count for anything, of course. I spent about 10 seconds processing the fact that I'd lost and realized it really didn't matter. Duh.

Emotional memories are rarely countable. How many times have my husband and I said we love each other? We're already lost count. And in an even shorter time span, how could I possibly count the ways my daughter is adorable and her expressions of love to me? They count, but I'll never be able to count them, even if I wanted to.

3 comments:

siteseer said...

way too deep for this early in the morning. But I see what you mean and I agree.

Tammy said...

What a nice post that really gets one thinking.

Carolyn said...

but do you remember how high you counted?