I have been
having a very enjoyable summer despite unpredictable weather toiling away in
the garden and contemplating my life so far.
One of the things I have been thinking about is how crossing the
threshold of 60 has, in my mind at least, created a feeling of
venerable-ness. I say that with a smile
but at the same time I find myself coming into the belief that I am entitled to
respect, that I am entitled to deference, that perhaps I know a thing or
two. Sometimes I get those feelings in a
spirit of resentfulness (as when I find myself standing up on the bus – how
many times did I relinquish a seat for an “old lady” in my day?), or with a
sense of impatience when “people” don’t seem to get it, but many times I simply
meditate on what I am actually experiencing.
Some of the observations I have noted
while I water the flowers or lift up rocks as we build our waterfall revolve
around how one ought to prevent oneself from thinking about “back in the day”
or otherwise reminiscing in such a way as to feel that the past was the
best. At this stage of the game I really
feel that while many things in my childhood were halcyon the present day is
something of a wonder. Despite my
irritation with cellphones I must admit that they are wonderful inventions
(when used appropriately). I love
microwaves, I love airplanes, I love all my kitchen appliances, I love
television and videos, PVRs and all the “conveniences” of the 21st
century. Of course I deplore the increasing
violence but at the same time I wonder if one hundred years ago things weren’t
even more violent than today. Maybe it’s
true that baby boomers had the best of any generation before or since from the
perspective of 1960’s suburban life.
What I know for sure today is that I am
truly contented with where I am in my life mentally, physically and
spiritually. I feel as though I have put
in a good deal of time and effort in creating the being that I am and now I am
ready to fulfill the next phase of a really fantastic life.
And that makes me feel pretty darn good.
ON THE EQUATOR
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