"Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance."
― Yoko Ono
Many times, bladder and bowel problems go along with aging. My birthday is this week and to be honest with you, aging has been a bit on my mind.
There is a significant impact to maturing. It is not for the weak in spirit. How about losing friends? Disappointing doctor appointments? The constant pain we feel in our bodies?
Last week I noticed on Face Book that a friend was moving from her big old house, close to mine, and moving to a nearby island. I felt heartbroken. I had so many fun memories connected to that woman and her home. I stopped by her garage sale to say goodbye, plus to tell her how much I will miss her.
She looked me dead in the eye and said, "I have not seen you for three years." I felt a bit guilty about this. Had so much time really passed? How did this happen? It was only yesterday that we were socializing at her house. Well of course, three years passed in the blink of an eye. This is true because as a wife, mother, grandmother, patient, writer, gardener, and bottle washer, my life tends not to be my own. I admit I get so busy with so many areas of my life, I neglect to play with friends these days.
Standing in her yard sale I saw the wine glasses we sipped from and I felt a bit like I did when I left my youngest child's grammar school for the last time. "You mean the beautiful, noisy, joyful, place will go on without me?" Wasn't this supposed to last forever? In the blink of an eye.
I felt a sheer loss at my friend moving away.
But that does not mean that my remembrances of wonderful times do not surround my life with warm happy memories that make me smile when my body does not cooperate!
So here we are. Our recollections are everything. They bring us so much joy. When people look at me they cannot see the playful, silly, girl inside. But she is there.
I like remembering.
Yes, Debbie, I have not seen you in three years. Life happens. Doctors' appointments and families take a great deal of time. But honestly, we had so much fun, a great deal of laughter. I know someday I will move out of my big old house as well. Perhaps some friends will stop by to remember the happy times together. I hope so.
Aging can be positive too. When I had a healthy bladder and bowel I TOOK THEM FOR GRANTED. My kidneys were completely ignored before they started going south. I took my friends for granted, perhaps for lack of perspective and living in the moment. I had no idea how fast this part of my life would flee. Now that I am older I value all of it in a way that I never have before.
So many losses as we age. Thank goodness for our wealth of happy reminiscences and the new joys that flow into our life.
My attitude needs to be, I'm OK, hang loose!
What is yours?