Aging Gracefully.....what the hell does that mean anyway? For someone like me who falls into walls, bangs their toes, shins, hands, etc. etc. etc., drops sh*t all the time and can't see the frakking road at night it's almost laughable!
I hear things on the TV about how to prevent aging, like exercise, eating right, getting enough sleep (don't get me started on sleeping) and after about three minutes it sounds like this.... blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah... Oy! save me from the middle-aged experts, please! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldn't try to take care of yourself, but the truth is, there's no such thing as aging gracefully. Trust me on this.
The good news is, you CAN age gratefully! Let's face it, if you don't want to age you have to die and are you sure that's what your really want?? One of my all-time favorite TV mini series is Lonesome Dove. One of the main characters is Gus, played perfectly (beyond perfect actually) by Robert Duvall. In a very poignant scene with Laurie he says to her: "The only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little
everyday things, like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a
glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself" I thought and still do think it is a brilliant bit of advice. Learn to love everyday things.
I'm a 'glass is half empty' kinda gal, so it's not always easy to remember to find joy, but I try. A good book, a good laugh, dinner with a friend or family, watching that stupid squirrel trying to get the bird seed, finding the perfect fabric for that project I'm working on, being able to do things in spite of the snap, crackle, and pop of my bones, and the slow fogging of the eyes from cataracts not 'ripe' enough to blast away. I'm grateful for this and more.
In closing, I want to try inserting a link into the blog - if it works you'll be laughing like you need your depends on (unless you don't find little old ladies swearing funny, as I do)
Prank Call
We were blessed with a Dominican Father here in Alaska for many years. His name was Father John Faeron. Fr John was a brilliant man, who could get across more in his 10 minute sermons than most priests did in their lengthy ones. One of those gems was advice, encouraging us to "appreciate the little miracles, the ones that happen every day."
ReplyDeleteI have never forgotten that advice, and use it whenever possible.
Fr. John is gone now, and , although he may never be made a saint (he definitely should, as I see it), he will always be one of those "little miracles' to me.