Advice to Myself at 73

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It’s never too late to experience growing pains. If it is our onus in life to grow and to change, with no cutoff point after which we are absolved of this duty, then why are we dumbfounded when those pains of adolescence occur again and again at each stage of life? We perhaps grow more serious over the years, but need we become less sensitized? Does the snub, the willful wounding, the being overlooked, the derision become less important? If so, why? Perhaps it is a mark of self-worth, and that is good, but if it is merely the building of a cocoon around ourselves, except in the direst of circumstances, it becomes more of a punishment than a defense.

We are born into this world to experience and therefore, are given defenses to deal with the negative, but when those defenses grow to isolate us, then they become more than protective blankets. They become walls which become our prisons. We were meant to experience and to be vulnerable to changes. And lest we atrophy, from the cradle to the crematorium, we need to fight to keep ourselves open to those experiences that invite change.

 

Prompt words for today are: serious, dumbfounded, cremate, onus and growing pains.

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About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

25 thoughts on “Advice to Myself at 73”

          1. SAM VOELKER's avatarSAM VOELKER

            OK~! Several years back someone said that my birthday was in June and when the erroneous word got out, I was having two a year… At my age one is too many.

            I am working on three of those window boxes, but getting it to you will be the difficult part. Maybe by the time your real birthday rolls around~! I did not like the first ones I made….

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  11. http://theenglishprofessoratlarge.com's avatarhttp://theenglishprofessoratlarge.com

    Oh, to be 73 again! I was busy working as a mentor teacher and happy as the proverbial clam. Now, at 93, I have to restrict my actions to my house and garden and blogging and FaceBook and internetting for social interaction. However, one thing I have learned in my life is to adapt to whatever circumstances present themselves. Life is constant change. This current world is one I never would have envisioned outside of science fiction stories.

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    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      I know. the whole world is pretty much limited in the same ways you are, and at this stage of my life, I don’t mind it that much. The secret is having interests that keep you busy. Amazing that you are 93. i never would have guessed it from your photo or your posts. You are a perfect example of what I wrote about. My mother was the same. Her mind never aged in terms of enthusiasm, intellect and wit.

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      1. http://theenglishprofessoratlarge.com's avatarhttp://theenglishprofessoratlarge.com

        Thank you for the comparison to you mother. I love older women who have had many varied life experiences and are ready for more. Unfortunately, I have only one person my age in my life now. All the rest of my family and friends are at least 20-40 years younger, so I intend to enjoy their company for my remaining days. (knock on a forest for luck).

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        1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

          It’s important to have friends younger thatn you both to refresh your mind and for the very reason you give–This has started happening to me. Hard to see friends of a lifetime pass away, but it is nature’s way and the alternative is to be the first to go yourself, so who can wish for that?

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    2. SAM VOELKER's avatarSAM VOELKER

      Oh I am not that far behind you in age, and the nice thing is that we few, at least, have our minds (almost) as sharp as ever, though at times they say that our memory of things may seem much nicer than they really were. The poem about the lady who died, that I wrote about yesterday was only in her 60’s but that Alzheimer’s got her down, and she had to be in assisted living, then she died suddenly. Her daughter, my friend, is a great Jazz singer, and she got her talents from her mother. She was with her the day before she died and they sang together, though the words came out scrambled, and the only “instrument” she could play was a “washboard”, it was a joyful togetherness on her final day of life. So nice to have the people here on our blog line to talk to, even in these times of isolation.

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        1. SAM VOELKER's avatarSAM VOELKER

          Sometime it gets confusing, I thought that I had put it under her comment. You already know our age difference. I am the same age that Bob would be today, but I have tried to stop counting~!

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