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45 and the Mid-Life Brisk Walk
I recently turned 45, officially entering “mid-life territory,” as I was gently reminded. Although hearing this non-disputable truth gave my ego a bit of a sting, my soul had known for years that mid-life was upon me. We, adults, are not too different from children. I don’t know how often I must remind my boys to clean up their trash from the basement or put their clothes in their rooms. Or my favorite, “The dishwasher is dirty; why don’t you throw your bowl in there while you’re at it…thank you very much.” We all know the saying if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. We…
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Age of Wisdom
There seems to be great freedom that comes with age. A year ago, I read an article suggesting that those in their 60s and 70s were the most content and happy. This is fascinating. I remember a gentleman walking the neighborhood around my boy’s school. I would always notice him and watch him. In some ways, I marveled at the possibility of being like him one day. He was always alone and walked at a very slow pace with his cane and cigar. He never said a word; instead, he just observed. Plus, he had a very cool hat that he would wear during the colder months. What was it…
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Merry Christmas
The crisp, cold air surrounding the house had no bearing on my two boys’ excitement and smiles as they paced the hallway at the top of my parent’s stairs. The same hallway that I once paced, waiting for my father to give us the go-ahead to stumble dangerously down the stairs in haste to attack the presents waiting for us under the tree. The same butterflies in our stomachs. The same unknowing. The same anticipation that gave birth to uncontrollable smiles. It is and was the heart-wrenching surprise and expectation of it all. It is Christmas morning. Christmas through the eyes of my two young boys. Then, there comes that…
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Finding Freedom
I recently read an article suggesting that people over 70 feel more content and are happier now than at any other point. Some of the reasons proposed were more free time to do what they enjoyed, such as hobbies and spending time with family and friends. Other reasons suggested worrying less and not caring what other people think anymore. What freedom. You have the freedom to do what you want and with whom you want to, and more importantly, you experience interior freedom while doing it. I am a few years from 70, well 30 to be exact in September, but I long for the interior freedom that this study…
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The Image
(The picture is inside of the Duomo di San Martino Cathedral in Lucca, Italy) There is an image that gives me comfort,I love it with every ounce of my being.Like a teddy bear or a blanket,I grip it tightly and bury my thoughts into its disturbing appearance.I have been drawn to its presence all of my life,I love this image with every ounce of my being. There is an image that I resist,I despise it with every ounce of my being.Like a teddy bear or a blanket,I am drawn to the comfort that I feel in my avoidance,I am addicted to the smile that is birthed when I dismiss it,I am…
