A Reflective Thought: Spring 2014
The first day of spring; damp,foggy, and still too cold. A trip to Charleston, recently completed, has saved me from the doldrums of this awful winter. Family, warmer weather, walking, biking, and golfing have therapeutic value. I am home two weeks, looking toward April, and a visit to Brant and my granddaughters, and some more down time in St. Simons.
There are some Physical issues that cause me concern, but my pervasive medical team (Way too many doctors) assures me not to worry too much. Take the medications, wear the socks, and get a life. Getting older Is not for wimps.
Except for the Board of Ed,I have retired from my educational vocation of 47 years. The Board takes some time, but not enough to fill my days.Three years of living alone has taught me to be independent, but I miss the person, who listened, advised,and understood. She is gone now, but lives in my memory. I miss her warmth, her friendship, and her counsel. An abundance of time without pressure is welcome at this stage of life’s journey, but there are lonely times like this, when I am sitting in the Mall struggling to find meaning in my creative attempts: a little writing, photography, experimenting with blogs and websites, and thinking“profound thoughts.” My friend Dan constantly asks the question for him and for me, “What is our purpose?” I struggle daily to find the answer to that existential question and to clarify what may lie ahead for me.
John Denver sang,“Somedays are Diamonds, Somedays are Stone.” Perhaps that is what this later stage of life is all about. The diamonds are In the relationships of family, friends, colleagues, and a personal satisfaction with creative efforts. The stones are the times of worry, boredom, and those times when loneliness is more of a curse than a blessing. My dear late wife knew how to use quiet times to paint, to meditate, and record serious thoughts. I try to emulate her strength, but sometimes falter.
And so I have laid the landscape of my dilemma. I have people who can support my way along the path of later life discovery. I am fortunate for that gift, but I need to do a better job of graciously accepting what is offered, but more importantly take the initiative to give back. I do not do that easily, and so it is a struggle on this first day of Spring, 2014, at the spry age of 71, with a life of fulfilling adventures in the past, but an insecurity about what is left for me to do.
The first day of spring; damp,foggy, and still too cold. A trip to Charleston, recently completed, has saved me from the doldrums of this awful winter. Family, warmer weather, walking, biking, and golfing have therapeutic value. I am home two weeks, looking toward April, and a visit to Brant and my granddaughters, and some more down time in St. Simons.
There are some Physical issues that cause me concern, but my pervasive medical team (Way too many doctors) assures me not to worry too much. Take the medications, wear the socks, and get a life. Getting older Is not for wimps.
Except for the Board of Ed,I have retired from my educational vocation of 47 years. The Board takes some time, but not enough to fill my days.Three years of living alone has taught me to be independent, but I miss the person, who listened, advised,and understood. She is gone now, but lives in my memory. I miss her warmth, her friendship, and her counsel. An abundance of time without pressure is welcome at this stage of life’s journey, but there are lonely times like this, when I am sitting in the Mall struggling to find meaning in my creative attempts: a little writing, photography, experimenting with blogs and websites, and thinking“profound thoughts.” My friend Dan constantly asks the question for him and for me, “What is our purpose?” I struggle daily to find the answer to that existential question and to clarify what may lie ahead for me.
John Denver sang,“Somedays are Diamonds, Somedays are Stone.” Perhaps that is what this later stage of life is all about. The diamonds are In the relationships of family, friends, colleagues, and a personal satisfaction with creative efforts. The stones are the times of worry, boredom, and those times when loneliness is more of a curse than a blessing. My dear late wife knew how to use quiet times to paint, to meditate, and record serious thoughts. I try to emulate her strength, but sometimes falter.
And so I have laid the landscape of my dilemma. I have people who can support my way along the path of later life discovery. I am fortunate for that gift, but I need to do a better job of graciously accepting what is offered, but more importantly take the initiative to give back. I do not do that easily, and so it is a struggle on this first day of Spring, 2014, at the spry age of 71, with a life of fulfilling adventures in the past, but an insecurity about what is left for me to do.
RSS Feed