Do we change as we get older or do we stay the same? There are many possible answers to this question and maybe there's a unique answer for every person who makes it into retirement.
This year, on my birthday, I joined the ranks of old geezerdom. I don't feel any different than I did before, and I didn't even realize I had attained that distinction until a friend a year or two my senior welcomed me to the ranks.
Sometimes knowing you have a choice isn’t obvious. Sort of, “What, I can choose?”
I do not read the newspapers, nor watch the news.
I choose my reality.
I sometimes imagine myself in a place of turmoil like Jerusalem. I stand there, eyes closed, with ripples of “illumination” going out from me, as if a pebble were tossed in a pond. Every second, going out hundreds of miles.
Then, at the same time, I picture myself in the center of China, doing the same.
In summers, during most of high school and college, I worked in a summer camp. My assignment was, pretty much, to protect and entertain a cottage full of three-to-five-year-olds. It was such fun that I decided I’d like to teach children as a career.
After graduating from the university, our certificates covered: nursery, kindergarten, and grades 1-8.
As luck would have it, before graduation I was hired to teach in my hometown. The year was 1969, a year of many problems and few jobs. So this was a blessing.
Moderation is not a popular attitude nowadays. Moderates (and I'm not talking only about political moderates) are seen as people who are "fence-sitters"; the folks who "cannot make up their minds". There probably are a group who genuinely are unable to come to a conclusion about things, but I believe that moderation is the approach to life adopted by the strong-minded. A moderate attitude to an issue is one which has required fair-minded consideration of the pros and cons, and the disciplined application of common sense.
We all have a box or a bag of trinkets, pictures and memories of our lives somewhere.
This song celebrates how precious these memories are.
My wife lost her glasses. They were missing for over 3 weeks. Each of the four of us in this home tried looking for them several times over – we just could not find them.
Then I tried something different. Instead of telling the universe, “Oh my, the glasses are missing.” I said out loud, “Thank you for showing me the glasses.” I hopped into the future with the end result being the glasses were in my hand, and being thankful for that too.
I have found that I can be in a room full of people, and feel absolutely isolated and lonely. Perhaps this happens to you, too.
So, there is something more going on with loneliness than just needing to be around other humans.
Perhaps we are lonely for this, that, and the other.
When I take care of a garden, I feel that the flowers, vegetables, herbs, and all that grows out of the soil are my friends. So, I like visiting the Hartford Flower Show, the Bronx Gardens, and the Durham County Fair.
We have a huge Chinese rug in the living room, 10 feet by 15 feet, 1 inch thick.
It is truly gorgeous. The colors and design are out of this world.
Sky-blue borders, decorated with flowers, all against a crème background. And it feels wonderful under your bare feet.
Who made this carpet I so enjoy? I feel I know him, or her, or them. I appreciate the sheer scale of its beauty and its masterful craftmanship.
Was the design handed down generation to generation, perhaps on rice paper? Or was it kept “in-mind” and shown only when needed?
Some say infants are born with wisdom and abilities. It is a thought to ponder.
Let’s take a journey watching a young artist create and grow.
When a baby is old enough to manipulate small objects, he should be given one crayon and a white piece of paper. He will be beyond delighted when he realizes that he has the power to make this crayon work. You’ll see a big, happy, toothless smile! Share in his joy.