Last years art, waiting on new spring: Photo by Noelle
For my fortieth birthday my colleagues at work gave me a party with black balloons and a wheelchair. I’m normally a person with a sense of humor, but I had watched this parade with colleagues before me. I work with mostly women. We have a habit of telling each other stories of how our time is past as we age. The best years behind us. We’re used up and lost our sex appeal. Men don’t do this to us and they don’t do it to each other. We do it to ourselves. I smiled and thanked everyone, but I knew in that moment, that I would live differently. That I would not see aging as a cross to bear, but an immense opportunity.
I look at this leaf dead, fragile, used up and am filled with its beauty and grace. Even dead, passed its season and it’s still showing the world what it can do. What it has to give. Aging isn’t about years, it’s about perspective. It’s seeing beauty where no one else would think to look. That isn’t weakness, that’s power. In that power is the possibility to transform. To embrace death when it comes and know you are about to pull out your best work yet.
Talk about perspective. Rather a sad perspective your colleagues at work have. Your post makes up for it – so expressively true. 🙂
I think they are acting out what they were taught and passing it along. We do this about age, money, concepts on beauty, really everything. We think so much is true or fact, when really, it’s just stuff we’ve repeated to ourselves and others over and over until, for us, it has become true. Wayne Dyer has a quote, “A change of feeling is a change of destiny”. To change your mind is to truly leave the machine, don’t you think?
Yip I agree. Great quote.
I like Wayne for those short, zinger quotes. They stick in your head, like the one above. Another of my favorites is “Everything in the Universe from quasars to dogs has a nature. Know yours.”
It is sad how so many feel life is over or all downhill after 40, or 30, or even after college. You are a young as you feel you are!
So true, Julianne. As a friend of mine likes to say, “We drink the Kool-aid” about aging. Confidence, followed closely by humor are two of the sexiest things in the world and neither is restricted by age. In fact, they only get better. Thanks for stopping in, my friend.
This is beautiful!! I’m going on 50 and feel awesome about life but I could never say it as well as you did here! Cheers!
I’m 51 and honestly, it just keeps getting better. Enjoy every second!
Could not agree more.
Thank you, my friend, for stopping by. You have a beautiful wife, so you know exactly what I mean!
Im sorry. Just let me be angry on your behalf for a moment (even if it was all those years ago)
That was way not cool – group effort too. Mmm me detects a familiar female archetypal projection that drags down sisters rather than lifts up, often too, laced with undertones of jealousy or punishment – and this under the guise of innocent humour noir which is sometimes a friend of truth.
I know you shook it off like sweat on a gorgeous horse.
But I hope you are working in better energy now.
Don’t feel for me. It has been a trajectory toward joy. I’m not sure it has been that for everyone else. And I agree that it’s the sisterhood pulling down other sisters. No idea what that is about. Absolutely loved the sweat on the gorgeous horse reference!thanks for stopping by, my friend.
I so agree with your wise entry. Age is truly just a number, a number that says nothing about what you think or what you choose to do and be as a person.
If I don’t look in the mirror Liz I’d be hard pressed to know how old I am, so yes… It’s just a number.
Wise words, woman. Keep looking for the beauty that surrounds us. It is to be found anytime, anywhere, unexpectedly, as I am learning moreand more as I grow older.
A friend got me into photography last summer as a method for meditation and healing. You can never be in any other moment than this one when taking a photograph. And the world becomes a search for beauty or, at least, what each photographer finds beautiful. The more pictures you take, the more your eye seeks these snippets of beauty. The mind quiets and you relax. This is how peace happens. Quietly looking for odd, unexpected moments of beauty. So pleased you came by for a visit, my friend.