I realize my short answer was a disservice to your wonderful photos. Truly great!
As for memories, I think we short change ourselves by leaving out the bittersweet or outright sad ones. They and their happy brethren have shaped us.
If I try to cling too tightly to one I happen to choose at any moment, it begins to feel like I'm selectively curating my life.
But life is change. To deny that, again, feels like a disservice to peace I've found through meditation practice and moving towards awareness. It's more beautiful, for me, to hold the full range of memories as snowflakes in a storm of life and love.
And I will delightedly note I got to use 'curated' in a sentence there!
Thank you for noticing the photos and coming back to them. I do like capturing photos here and there. A plus (or a minus?) with photography is that it allows one to linger in the magic of memory.
I liked this phrase a lot: "to hold the full range of memories as snowflakes in a storm of life and love." Perfect.
I have meditated for years yet still feel as if I am a lousy meditator. I persevere but wonder if it is helpful really. I guess I continue because I DO like the feel of it. IDK
I'd suggest meditation has been helpful to you. I feel a lot of honest insight and awareness in your words. Or maybe you're just naturally that way? Either way, good work
Thanks, Dave. I am pretty naturally reflective (always asking questions from day one) and lean towards introversion (though I have mastered the art of playing the extrovert!) . I think over the last 20 years though I have grown in insight and awareness. Maybe that's the reward of aging?
It was like I just floated through… I know I considered issues and I noticed things… but did I put them into a puzzle that finally showed my whole life coming together? Not then. The pieces of that puzzle were still being formed. And today some of the most interesting pieces are simply missing. Like who were my grandfathers and where did they slip away? And why? As a young person I wanted grandfathers. I also only knew one grandmother( my Mother’s mom). Today I think of everyone… who, why, where!!!! I think of the people who simply made me feel perfect. Just as I was … that powerful unconditional love. What a gift. My maternal grandmother gave me that gift. And amazingly, late in life another woman who is now 94 met me and stamped me as “perfect” without a word.
How do they do that? I want to make someone feel that “seen.”It is a true blessing to pass on. I also think hard and long about my Father who got Polio when he was six , had his parents divorce for “mental cruelty “ in 1918… I didn’t think in those days there was something called “mentally cruelty”. and how did this boy child with a bum leg navigate into whom later became my very special Father. A writer, musician, a wit, an intellectual thinker and a perfectionist who demanded that of me. Who was I?? Who am I?
I am a mellowing , old thinker.. and yes it is good to have the time to unravel this sweater of life. See what we did to bring it together into any semblance of a pattern. And why??
As usual Graciewilde, you gave my engine a kick start… vroom vroom!! 😊👍👏🏻🤣
Yes, I know what you mean about puzzle pieces missing. My father's father and my mother's mother both died in about 1940 so I never knew them. My dad's mother died when I was about 12 but she had suffered a stroke five years before her death and was incapacitated. I rarely saw her so I did not know her either. My mother's dad died when I was 18. I had more opportunities to see him but he was reserved and not particularly kid friendly. I had no strong models for grandparents and then , for various reasons, my own children did not have strong grandparents. I am so grateful to be an active and involved grandparent for two little kids.
I think I was always about trying to be seen as a child. Being the middle of nine children, it would be asking a lot of my own parents to actually see me. It is a blessing when someone sees you and I hope I am giving that to the two little girls.
I like that image: unraveling this sweater of life. Can we make sense of it?
There is a sense of sadness in this post. An understanding and acceptance that life does go by far too quickly, but then also a longing for better days. Or, should I say, simpler, more carefree days when we didn't have some of the worries we seem to have today?
But maybe we did?
There was McCarthyism in the 50s; in 1968 the US was in turmoil; the '70s were financially rough for the country; and when you see photos of the cities in the '70s, it reminds me that I was simply too young and blissfully unaware of everything that no doubt worried my parents (and I grew up in Cleveland - a great hulking, rusting, beast of a city)!
But all the technology of today, especially smartphones and social media (and AI), I would happily give up and return to a time that was only 20 years ago.
That said, I definitely feel more comfortable with who I am today than I did when I was in my youth, and of course, having the wisdom and perspective of living 56 years allows me to navigate the world better. But, as one grows older, one also becomes very aware of their age. Which, in this youth-obsessed culture, can be difficult.
Nature, however, is very humbling and a wonderful way to recenter oneself. I have never felt more humbled than when I stood for nearly an hour waiting for clouds to give way to allow me to see Machu Picchu. When they did, the rush of breathtaking joy was simply overwhelming. And seeing the Milky Way in Bryce Canyon is another unforgettable moment. As Carl Sagan once said, "To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
Yes, Michael, you picked up on that piece of sadness. Life does go by so fast and some of it goes by w/o the awareness that the days are leaving.
I agree that, although there were adventures and exciting times back when, I do have more confidence and more sense of self than I had back in the day. I am more comfortable in my own skin even if it does have more wrinkles and stuff. Nature is, indeed, humbling and centering. I go out to the beach or walk in the redwoods on a regular basis b/c there is magic there. The chatter and static in my mind seem to find stillness and I can hear what is most important there. Carl Sagan was right about so much.
Beautiful. Interesting that you wrote about this today. I was recently thinking about last Christmas with four grandchildren♥️ We kept it very simple and it was just a golden time. I had the thought that it might be the last normal Christmas for a while. So I savored it all even more. And since then I’ve been getting flooded with lovely memories from the last 50+ years with my best friend and love, and our children and grandchildren. I have so much beauty and joy stored up inside. There is great comfort in knowing I can bring up any memory and relive it whenever I want to. I can “see”, “hear”, and “smell” all the smells. I think we’re all going to need our beautiful memories in the days ahead to sustain and motivate us as we do whatever our instincts and destiny are telling us to do.
Yes, I agree that beautiful memories can sustain us when times get tough. I have been savoring the days with my two pre school age grandchildren knowing that they will start T-K soon and these tender early childhood days will vanish. Breathe in and appreciate the now, right? Thanks for reading and commenting.
Thank YOU, Michael, for reinforcing the beauty of life. It can be tough sometimes but holding on the beauty is what makes it possible. Thanks for reading and sending kind words back.
Remembering, and sometimes longing for what was can be both a curse and a blessing.
Truth, Bruce. And do we get to choose the blessing or the curse?
It's good to be aware.
That's a start, anyway, right, Dave? As always, thanks for reading and adding to the conversation.
I realize my short answer was a disservice to your wonderful photos. Truly great!
As for memories, I think we short change ourselves by leaving out the bittersweet or outright sad ones. They and their happy brethren have shaped us.
If I try to cling too tightly to one I happen to choose at any moment, it begins to feel like I'm selectively curating my life.
But life is change. To deny that, again, feels like a disservice to peace I've found through meditation practice and moving towards awareness. It's more beautiful, for me, to hold the full range of memories as snowflakes in a storm of life and love.
And I will delightedly note I got to use 'curated' in a sentence there!
Nice job on the use of the word curate, Dave!
Thank you for noticing the photos and coming back to them. I do like capturing photos here and there. A plus (or a minus?) with photography is that it allows one to linger in the magic of memory.
I liked this phrase a lot: "to hold the full range of memories as snowflakes in a storm of life and love." Perfect.
I have meditated for years yet still feel as if I am a lousy meditator. I persevere but wonder if it is helpful really. I guess I continue because I DO like the feel of it. IDK
I appreciate your presence here.
I'd suggest meditation has been helpful to you. I feel a lot of honest insight and awareness in your words. Or maybe you're just naturally that way? Either way, good work
Thanks, Dave. I am pretty naturally reflective (always asking questions from day one) and lean towards introversion (though I have mastered the art of playing the extrovert!) . I think over the last 20 years though I have grown in insight and awareness. Maybe that's the reward of aging?
Ooh, i like that! Nobody knows I'm really shy, I just work at it really well. Bravo to us both!
I am so grateful for the uplifting blessing you have shared here.The love light pictures are wonderful also.Thank you dear one.Keep shining! ❤️🌟
Thank YOU, Nancy, for your kind comment. Your light is reflected into the world.
Wise words, Gracie.
Thanks, Switter. There is something to be said for getting older.
Listen to Crosby Stills and Nash, “Wasted on the Way “ fits right in with our thoughts!🎶👏🏻❤️🌈
I absolutely LOVE that song. It gives me chills to this day.
It was like I just floated through… I know I considered issues and I noticed things… but did I put them into a puzzle that finally showed my whole life coming together? Not then. The pieces of that puzzle were still being formed. And today some of the most interesting pieces are simply missing. Like who were my grandfathers and where did they slip away? And why? As a young person I wanted grandfathers. I also only knew one grandmother( my Mother’s mom). Today I think of everyone… who, why, where!!!! I think of the people who simply made me feel perfect. Just as I was … that powerful unconditional love. What a gift. My maternal grandmother gave me that gift. And amazingly, late in life another woman who is now 94 met me and stamped me as “perfect” without a word.
How do they do that? I want to make someone feel that “seen.”It is a true blessing to pass on. I also think hard and long about my Father who got Polio when he was six , had his parents divorce for “mental cruelty “ in 1918… I didn’t think in those days there was something called “mentally cruelty”. and how did this boy child with a bum leg navigate into whom later became my very special Father. A writer, musician, a wit, an intellectual thinker and a perfectionist who demanded that of me. Who was I?? Who am I?
I am a mellowing , old thinker.. and yes it is good to have the time to unravel this sweater of life. See what we did to bring it together into any semblance of a pattern. And why??
As usual Graciewilde, you gave my engine a kick start… vroom vroom!! 😊👍👏🏻🤣
Yes, I know what you mean about puzzle pieces missing. My father's father and my mother's mother both died in about 1940 so I never knew them. My dad's mother died when I was about 12 but she had suffered a stroke five years before her death and was incapacitated. I rarely saw her so I did not know her either. My mother's dad died when I was 18. I had more opportunities to see him but he was reserved and not particularly kid friendly. I had no strong models for grandparents and then , for various reasons, my own children did not have strong grandparents. I am so grateful to be an active and involved grandparent for two little kids.
I think I was always about trying to be seen as a child. Being the middle of nine children, it would be asking a lot of my own parents to actually see me. It is a blessing when someone sees you and I hope I am giving that to the two little girls.
I like that image: unraveling this sweater of life. Can we make sense of it?
Vroom vroom is right! Have a safe trip! xoxoxo
Sure I would , do it all over again ,this time remembering every inch of it
LOVE your attitude, Teddi!
There is a sense of sadness in this post. An understanding and acceptance that life does go by far too quickly, but then also a longing for better days. Or, should I say, simpler, more carefree days when we didn't have some of the worries we seem to have today?
But maybe we did?
There was McCarthyism in the 50s; in 1968 the US was in turmoil; the '70s were financially rough for the country; and when you see photos of the cities in the '70s, it reminds me that I was simply too young and blissfully unaware of everything that no doubt worried my parents (and I grew up in Cleveland - a great hulking, rusting, beast of a city)!
But all the technology of today, especially smartphones and social media (and AI), I would happily give up and return to a time that was only 20 years ago.
That said, I definitely feel more comfortable with who I am today than I did when I was in my youth, and of course, having the wisdom and perspective of living 56 years allows me to navigate the world better. But, as one grows older, one also becomes very aware of their age. Which, in this youth-obsessed culture, can be difficult.
Nature, however, is very humbling and a wonderful way to recenter oneself. I have never felt more humbled than when I stood for nearly an hour waiting for clouds to give way to allow me to see Machu Picchu. When they did, the rush of breathtaking joy was simply overwhelming. And seeing the Milky Way in Bryce Canyon is another unforgettable moment. As Carl Sagan once said, "To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
Yes, Michael, you picked up on that piece of sadness. Life does go by so fast and some of it goes by w/o the awareness that the days are leaving.
I agree that, although there were adventures and exciting times back when, I do have more confidence and more sense of self than I had back in the day. I am more comfortable in my own skin even if it does have more wrinkles and stuff. Nature is, indeed, humbling and centering. I go out to the beach or walk in the redwoods on a regular basis b/c there is magic there. The chatter and static in my mind seem to find stillness and I can hear what is most important there. Carl Sagan was right about so much.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Beautiful. Interesting that you wrote about this today. I was recently thinking about last Christmas with four grandchildren♥️ We kept it very simple and it was just a golden time. I had the thought that it might be the last normal Christmas for a while. So I savored it all even more. And since then I’ve been getting flooded with lovely memories from the last 50+ years with my best friend and love, and our children and grandchildren. I have so much beauty and joy stored up inside. There is great comfort in knowing I can bring up any memory and relive it whenever I want to. I can “see”, “hear”, and “smell” all the smells. I think we’re all going to need our beautiful memories in the days ahead to sustain and motivate us as we do whatever our instincts and destiny are telling us to do.
Yes, I agree that beautiful memories can sustain us when times get tough. I have been savoring the days with my two pre school age grandchildren knowing that they will start T-K soon and these tender early childhood days will vanish. Breathe in and appreciate the now, right? Thanks for reading and commenting.
The many gifts of aging. Beautiful post. Thank you.
Thank YOU for reading and leaving kind words!
Wendy, I love all of that. Thanks for sharing your beautiful words and stories that brighten our days.
Wendy, Gracie, they are kind of the same, right? Thanks for sending good vibes out into the world, Kathleen!
Sorry, supposed to say Gracie
Beautiful days are such blessings. Thanks, Gracie for reminding us
Thank YOU, Michael, for reinforcing the beauty of life. It can be tough sometimes but holding on the beauty is what makes it possible. Thanks for reading and sending kind words back.