Reflections about Aging

Carol A. Hand

Soon I will greet
my second septuagenarian birthday
I never envisioned living this long
*
As I look back I realize
there is one piece of advice
I wish to share with those who are younger –
Take care of your physical body
It may last far longer than you imagine
*
I look at my sagging skin suit, chuckling
It has had to stretch and shrink
more times than I can remember
and despite the claims of clothing manufacturers,
one size never really fits everyone (anyone?) well

*

Me early in my journey

*

Now my skin suit is a bit too big
Perhaps that’s a blessing
the bones that support me
are lighter, more porous and fragile
making flights of imagination and fantasy easier
*
Still, this body serves me well
reminding me to exercise mindful discipline
and move with a greater sense of purpose
humbly, gratefully, and compassionately

*

my daughter’s most recent birthday – October 18, 2018

*

40 thoughts on “Reflections about Aging”

    1. Such thoughtful, lovely comments, Bruce, and important reflections about the changes we often experience as we age. Humor and moments of joy become ever more important, don’t they? Thank you for your kind words and blessings. Sending peace to you and your lovely family, too. ❤

      Like

    1. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. I am so grateful to hear you are already mindfully caring for your health, dear friend. The years do go by faster, although I will say this year, I wish the February freeze would pass much more quickly… ❤

      Like

        1. I’ve always loved trees. I’ve hugged them for many years – even while living in NYC. 😎

          When I was 9 years old my father planted a tiny Black Walnut tree in our front yard. I saw it grow into a big, beautiful tree that supplied nutritious food for the many squirrels in the neighborhood. For years I watched squirrels sit on a branch and patiently open the incredibly hard shells to eat the nuts. It was very enjoyable.

          Liked by 3 people

    2. Thank you for sharing such kind words and lovely imagery, David. Imagine the wisdom of long-lived trees! They have so much to teach us about what is most important. 🙂

      Like

  4. A good reminder! And yes, it is so true that as we age we become a little more birdlike. Loved this poem very much. Thank you.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hearing from you is always a treat, Nelly. ❤

      Thank you for your kind words. Fascinating that our children have the same birthday, although my daughter was born in 1970 (a time when Lamaze was fairly new in the U.S.).

      Like

  7. I recently celebrated(?) my second OCTOGENARIAN birthday, so consider yourself a young whippersnapper by comparison, per this quote: “An old person is a person who is ten years older than you are.” –Evan Esar

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Belatedly wishing you a wonderful new year, Mister Muse, and sending you a hearty thank you for sharing an important reminder about the relativity of what “old” means. Your comment reminded me of something the director of a nursing home said about the residents, aged 60 to 96. “Old people like to sit at round tables. We try to keep them happy here while they’re waiting to die.” “Hmm,” I thought to myself, “not a place I ever want to stay!” Wishing you many more birthdays to celebrate. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Beautiful. 😀

    For some reason I was reminded of lyrics by the brilliant Roger Waters in the amazing song Time:

    “And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking
    Racing around to come up behind you again
    The sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older
    Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
    Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
    Plans that neither come to naught nor half a page of scribbled lines…”

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, ASIC, and for sharing a powerful song I didn’t know.
      🙂
      I did take time to find Waters’ song and listen – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSz7Lv_B_c
      along with a couple others that came to mind:

      Songs to Aging Children Come by Joni Mitchell – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGMzuo6jwjU
      “Songs to aging children come
      Aging children, I am one
      Does the moon play only silver
      When it strums the galaxy
      Dying roses will they will their
      Perfumed rhapsodies to me”

      And The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCFelQwdk84
      “And the seasons they go round and round
      And the painted ponies go up and down
      We’re captive on the carousel of time
      We can’t return we can only look
      Behind from where we came
      And go round and round and round
      In the circle game”

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you. I enjoyed the Joni Mitchell songs. Such a sweet voice. 🙂

        The song “Time” originally appeared on Pink Floyd’s album “Dark Side of the Moon” in 1973. The album charted for over 900 weeks (by far the longest of any album) and has sales of more than 45 million copies worldwide. It’s considered by many people to be one of the most influential albums in modern music history.

        I found a studio version of “Time” along with the song that follows it on the album, “Great Gig In The Sky” – the two together are a musical masterpiece. Claire Torry’s vocals “Great Gig” are magnificent. It’s more than 11 minutes long so give it a listen when you have time to sit down, close your eyes and relax.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. A very happy birthday coming up to you, Carol! 🎂
    I’ve been thinking about ageing a lot lately and I think there are two ways to do something that is going to happen whether we like it or not…we can go with it gracefully or we can kick and scream. I am trying the graceful thing…maybe not always successfully 😉
    Sweet blessings of love and light to you.
    I love the photo of you and your daughter💜

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for the birthday blessings, Lori, and for sharing your important reflections about the process of aging. I remember something one of the gerontologists I studied with said. “People don’t change when they grow old, they just become more of who they always were.” I’m not sure about that, but only time will tell. 🙂

      Sending my best wishes to you. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  13. This was truly wonderful, Carol!! I feel blessed to have crossed paths with you here. The simple joy that shines through your words lightens my day every time.

    Peace, blessings and a happy upcoming birthday to you! ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Beautiful photographs and reflections. I cannot agree more – myself, never expected to live past 45. It came out I opened a new page in my life at 45 🙂
    Your daughter is a beauty, and so are you. Love this photograph of you two.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d bloggers like this: