INSPIRING - THE WINTER OF YOUR LIFE
AND THEN IT IS WINTER - the winter of your life ". . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young... just married and embarking on my new life. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is... my friends are retired/and retiring and getting grey... they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit! And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime. So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!! "Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY ! HAVE A GREAT DAY Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. LIVE HAPPY! LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS. ~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect! ~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!! ~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore. ~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch...
~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ??? ~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere. ~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!! ~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers. ~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear. ~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and Old Friends! Stay well, "Send this on to others and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived."
"For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible"
~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!! ~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore. ~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch...
~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ??? ~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere. ~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!! ~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers. ~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear. ~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and Old Friends! Stay well, "Send this on to others and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived."
"For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible"
Replies
i\'ve been thinking about this all the time lately. i think mostly because of all the goings on and because of the \"brain surges\" lately, either from thick blood or from head injuries. need to visit brain injury community more.
also noticed every time i turn around something living is either ill or dying. don\'t remember dealing with so much of all this before and view it as \"part 2\" of life...but this could also be part 3, which is what this poem is about. i overheard julia once, a lawyer co-counsel can\'t think of her last name at the moment. they were waaaay beyond retirement and she was giving lectures at universities and the like by then. she and another partner who was a name partner hugged, and said something like this poem, but were saying more like, its their swan song. it was fascinating watching it. they KNEW, though julia lived another ten years, don\'t recall how long he did. would have to look it up. i was fresh back from living in spain and living my bucket list while in college. work in largest cities on the planet was one of them. this one was new york. i had planned to do los angeles after that. had no idea, brain injuries etc., would make that impossible permanently. took until now to get that through my head. never thought i\'d not be on the west coast eventually. grrrr.
this is food for thought, a list of what i\'ve scattered.
also reminds me of ferris beuller speech at the end of that movie.
I loved this, 79! And because of my life experience at age 63, I can tell you that \"Health IS more important than wealth\". As you approach older age...( I can relate to SO much of this writing) you really do look back and say \"GOOD GRIEF! WHERE DID THE TIME GO?\" It all just goes too fast.
Treasure every moment of this life. It is a gift. Take care of your family and your health.
I love this. It was wonderful inspiration to read right before bed !!! oxoxo
Thanks!
I loved this as it is soo true. Where did the time go??
My DH attended a Memorial service today for a classmate and good friend and came home feeling really sad about how old everyone was and so many in poor health. We are very luck in that account as we both are pretty healthy.....for now anyway. Thank God.
I so hope you can make it to the West Coast eventually if that is what you really want to do. Winter will be here before you know it.
xoxo
thanks carly, i get seizures from dry climates and have trouble breathing. its mostly from head injuries, but i also have some kind of poison in my system...reminds me of erin brokovich. never occurred to me when young that things don\'t just go away, if anything they get worse. if i didn\'t have health issues, i\'d have moved west in my teens or late teens. my good stepmother lives out there and a few relatives. would have been an easier move than just about everywhere else i have lived. lol. whatever. life is what it is. and of course it could be worse. i could be dead or an invalid. but for all the things i do for a living, the west coast would have been better and hawaii would have been fun....lots of things that i love, are dangerous for me to do because of health reasons. its unfair. so many hate travel and i love travel but i\'m limited with it because of health. would also have loved a life like violet jessop who worked on luxury liners around 1900 and survived three sinkings. i always admired her, though no one else has even heard of her. lol.
how about you? any bucket list?
alumni and funerals are rough. i used to hear that from my friend\'s parents who grew up and stayed in the same area and went to all of that stuff. her mother would come back from them ashen in the face because so many were dead that she didn\'t know were dead. at alumni she expected big turn outs and would discover most of the people were either dead or in nursing homes and ill. it really scared her, but that happens.
you are very lucky if you are healthy. me too actually. i have conditions, high blood pressure and allergies but other than that i\'m in one piece. the bit with my knee two years ago scared me. thank god it healed! xxoo