Patience is not my burden. I don’t like to wait for instructions, decisions, life’s healing forces. I want to understand the situation immediately. I want people to choose and move forward. I want all people – but especially people I love- to be pain-free. The reality is life is not like that. There are ups and downs and in-betweens.
Richard sent me this article (I can’t link it. Pamela Druckerman, NYT, February 28, 2014) on one gal’s 44th birthday marking her age of enlightenment. It’s a wonderful assessment of her 20’s frivolity and 30’s regrets. Her goal is to enjoy the decade she is in. Good on you, Pamela! You have it much more together than I did at 44. I loved your life lessons learned… so true!
I spent 500 days getting ready for 50 and now I’m 234 days into the new decade and here is what I found…
*Time goes faster. Minutes, days, seasons are shorter. The sands in my hourglass have picked up speed.
*There is nothing I really have to have… the dress, the cookie, my way over someone else’s. BUT if I really want it, I should buy it, eat it, fight for it… just not every time.
*Don’t wait to be appreciated. If I truly believe my self proclaimed mantra, “in the end only kindness matters”, then I need to be kind in the act and post act. I can’t harbor negativity for someone else’s unkindness.
*My body may be rickety but it’s a 50 year old powerhouse. The more I move and nudge it to be stronger, it adapts. This vessel takes care of me and I need to get it optimized for the long haul.
*People will betray me. Trusted people will break confidences. I need to learn about myself from how the scenario played out but I can’t be stuck in reliving it. I need to move forward and invest energy into the people that always have my back.
*A good night sleep is the best gift I can give myself!
*Plan for it! I constantly ask myself what else do I want to see, do, be. My age no longer allows for the luxury of a “Do Over!” but I definitely have the time for the metamorphic makeovers. How do I want my life to look right now, in three years, in ten years?
*I can do what I can for people but I need to live my life first. Being self sufficient, emotionally, financially, physically, spiritually, is the best gift I can give to others.
*I say I prefer life to just sail along with a gentle breeze, minimal turbulence, and sufficient time to enjoy the view. Actually, if I’m being honest with myself, I enjoy the thrill of navigating through choppy waters. And the satisfaction of prevailing over any storm. I like wind for the speed it inspires and the ever-changing landscapes it creates.
*Still, I can’t dismiss the sheer bliss of periods of floating along too.