wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

We spent last weekend in Cincinnati. Todd’s former boss and good friend got married, so the weekend was filled with celebration, laughter, and time with good friends. At this stage of life, we are beginning to say our last goodbyes to friends and family, which makes a new beginning like marriage feel especially meaningful. Celebrating the start of a new life together was such a joyful occasion.

Before the wedding, we visited the Cincinnati Art Museum to see Yayoi Kusama’s All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins. The timing felt poignant because Kusama recently died on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97. 

Pumpkins were a deeply personal and important symbol throughout Kusama’s life. She grew up in a troubled family life with a strict, abusive mother and found a sense of warmth and comfort in pumpkins. Beginning around the age of ten, she experienced frightening hallucinations in which patterns and dots seemed to engulf her. Against that darkness, pumpkins became an emotional anchor. Kusama often described pumpkins as speaking to her about the “joy of living” - a source of comfort and, in her words and art, a triumph over the darkness she experienced.

The Cincinnati installation places dozens of vibrant yellow pumpkins, covered in black polka dots, inside an infinity mirror room. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors transform the small chamber into an endless field of glowing pumpkins. The effect is whimsical but profound. Because of the intimate size of the room, only two visitors are allowed inside at a time for 90 seconds.

90 seconds doesn't sound like much, but that's part of what made the experience memorable. Standing among those infinite pumpkins, knowing that the moment would end almost as soon as it began, was a fitting metaphor for life. We step into moments of beauty, love, friendship, and celebration, knowing that none of them can last forever.

This weekend was so special. We were celebrating a beginning while also being reminded of how quickly time passes. A marriage begins, friendships evolve, people we love leave us, and even an artist like Kusama, who created worlds without limits, eventually reaches the end of her own.

Her pumpkins remain bright, playful, and infinite, offering their simple message of the joy of living.

It's a reminder to hold these seasons of life: celebrate the beginnings, cherish the people who are still beside us, and step into the beautiful moments we are given, even when we know they will last only 90 seconds.