growing onward, not just older
recently i was asked to serve at an event raising money for the local scandinavian heritage society. those in attendance ranged from their 60's to nearly 100.
one woman i spoke with told me with great pride how she had won "best rose garden" in the city of portland but how she "could no longer tend them because of health issues." i sympathized with her and proposed maybe someone willing to do the work could garner rose wisdom from her and they could both learn new things about each other in the process.
this interaction made me realize how much i want to align myself for the next decades of life. middle age is declared to be not the beginning of the end as some might think, but merely the end of the beginning. others have said, "life begins at 40."
many individuals as well as marriages are praised, and rightly so, for their chronological age. i can't help but wonder about the quality of time and always hope that it (longevity plus quality) is for people the best of both worlds.
anne morrow lindbergh wrote that mid-life is "...a time of shedding the shells of ambition, material accumulation and ego", which i am finding to be true life tasks at this time. also, like isaiah the prophet wrote (in my own words) keep walking so as not to faint, keep running so as not to grow weary and keep soaring so as to stay young. "if you flow with life, every year is a fascinating challenge full of adventure and discovery!"
at 40, i feel twice as equipped to both receive and use the blessings of life than i did in my 20's and am excited that at 80 i will have the potential to be four times as equipped! may we all gain in spiritual stature and beauty of personhood. i think it is fun to think about opportunities to become cuter, funnier, mellower, more tolerant, and more perceptive...as one writer puts it, "growing onward (instead of just older) takes much effort and discipline. one must work at keeping the whole self alive." --e.b.
one woman i spoke with told me with great pride how she had won "best rose garden" in the city of portland but how she "could no longer tend them because of health issues." i sympathized with her and proposed maybe someone willing to do the work could garner rose wisdom from her and they could both learn new things about each other in the process.
this interaction made me realize how much i want to align myself for the next decades of life. middle age is declared to be not the beginning of the end as some might think, but merely the end of the beginning. others have said, "life begins at 40."
many individuals as well as marriages are praised, and rightly so, for their chronological age. i can't help but wonder about the quality of time and always hope that it (longevity plus quality) is for people the best of both worlds.
anne morrow lindbergh wrote that mid-life is "...a time of shedding the shells of ambition, material accumulation and ego", which i am finding to be true life tasks at this time. also, like isaiah the prophet wrote (in my own words) keep walking so as not to faint, keep running so as not to grow weary and keep soaring so as to stay young. "if you flow with life, every year is a fascinating challenge full of adventure and discovery!"
at 40, i feel twice as equipped to both receive and use the blessings of life than i did in my 20's and am excited that at 80 i will have the potential to be four times as equipped! may we all gain in spiritual stature and beauty of personhood. i think it is fun to think about opportunities to become cuter, funnier, mellower, more tolerant, and more perceptive...as one writer puts it, "growing onward (instead of just older) takes much effort and discipline. one must work at keeping the whole self alive." --e.b.
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