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45 and the Mid-Life Brisk Walk
I recently turned 45 years old. Officially, “mid-life territory,” as I was reminded ever so gently. Although hearing this non-disputable truth gave a bit of a sting to my ego, 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 have to remind my boys to clean up their trash from the basement or put their clothes away in their rooms. Or my personal 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…
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Age of Wisdom
There seems to be great freedom that comes when you get older. I remember reading an article a year or so ago that suggests that those in their 60’s and 70’s were the most content and happy. Fascinating. I am reminded of a gentleman who used to walk the neighborhood around my boy’s school. I would always take notice of him and watch him. In some ways I guess I was marveling 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, rather he just observed. Plus he had a…
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Merry Christmas
The crisp cold air that surrounded the house had no bearing on the excitement and smiles that my two boys had 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…
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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…
