Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light writes Mary Oliver. In the same way that the colors of a sunset get more intense before they fade to dark, autumn offers us nature’s brightest beauty before the dullness of winter takes over.
How has aging brought out the color and beauty in you or someone you love?
What a lovely thought. Now that I am in my mid-fifties, the last quarter of my life by almost anyone’s measure, I am beginning to appreciate the the sweetness of life. The things that seemed so important a couple of decades ago don’t matter nearly as much now. The drive for the accumulation of material wealth has given way to the need for a better understanding of other people and the world around me. I no longer fear aging or even death. I have come to understand that we are only here for a brief time and we are all part of an infinite cycle that will continue long after we are gone. While we are here, we all have an obligation to do our best before passing the flame on to the next generation.
In the last few years of my family’s dog’s life, she became much more accepting of physical affection. When she was younger, she always wanted to be in the same room as someone else, especially my mother, but she wasn’t that into petting. As an old dog, though, she really appreciated being stroked and having her ear scratched. She also calmed down in general and I think barked less. While she was still scared of other dogs, she learned to sit down and eat a treat instead of lunging towards them.
Perfect question for me today, as I just turned 50 yesterday! My 40s were a tremendous time of personal growth and letting go for me, and I can’t wait to see what lights my 6th decade brings!
“the dullness of winter” it only appears so to persons who need color in their life… of all the adjectives I might use for winter dullness is not one of them…. In parts of the country where winter comes with fierceness and deep snows and deeper drops of temperature… dullness as in boring is also not true… These places know how to come alive and preserve the spirit of fire amid winter’s chill…
Perhaps it is only in the temperate climes that winter seems dull…. but not in the climates where winter reigns… beyond that the northern hemisphere’s obsession with reducing the seasons to spring birth, summer maturity, fall wisening and falling into winter death… is not very rich and certainly not conscious of the fact that for the southern hemisphere this does not work at all… we need to find a different richness for the seasons….
There are certainly places where winter is a colorful affair. I was once Arizona shortly before Christmas, and there were flowers, green grass, and sunshine.
However, I resonate with the message because where I live, winter does look fairly dull. The skies tend to be grey during the day, and the night is very long and black. Rather than white snow, we tend to get grey slush. While there are quite a few conifers that keep their needles, there are also many trees that lose their leaves and needles. The grass stays green for quite some time, but then it turns a dull brown.
That said, there are scattered flowers that last well into the winter. They are not wild, but that doesn’t diminish their beauty. There are few Christmas decorations outside, but we have some colorful ones inside our house. We start putting them up during advent and leave them up far into January to bring in some color during the grey winter months.
Karen, I know it’s cliche to say this but, for me, life really began at 50. Many of the struggles of my youth are behind me now. Many battles were fought, some were lost and some won. In the grand scheme it seems pretty much like a wash now. Looking back, I can see where I sometimes missed the beauty of the forest by concentrating too much on the trees. These days I strive to veiw my life through a different lens with a wider angle. There are some benefits to getting older, aside from the obvious fact that we are still among the living. Finding peace of mind is one of them. Take my word for it, the best is yet to be. Blessings!
Just after I turned 66, I learned that I had received a Fulbright to South Africa. The next year really changed my life, and opened up so many new opportunities and relationships. I now have 2 “homes” and so many new friends. Too bad it took me so long to get brave and believe in myself… and others!
A Fulbright to South Africa at 66. Wow! How wonderful is that. You inspire me. Now in my 70’s and feeling and looking very old, I had put aside my dreams of visiting South Africa. I’d love to know more about your experience.
How has aging brought out the color and beauty in you or someone you love?…
My failings have made me want to make up for it, by being a gentler, more attentive lover to anyone who would chose to be with me…….because I no longer feel worthy of love from a woman. My age has caught up to me; and my colours are grey and fading.
Dwayne