Good Eggs

A friend recently gave me some hens and chicks -- not the egg-laying kind, but the succulent-plant version.  For the past few years, I've been adding hens and chicks and other succulents to the narrow flower bed that runs between our garage and front sidewalk, with the hope that they will eventually take over the landscape stone-lined area and make it perpetually green.  As time goes by, I am getting to be a lazier and lazier gardener, favoring plants that prefer to take care of themselves without too much of my intervention.  And I'm not alone. My friend Kitty and I had heard such a presentation at the Garden Expo in Madison, WI a couple of years ago.  What we learned was that as we age, we still like being surrounded by green things, but we want the freedom to be gone for a few days (or weeks, now that most of us are Empty Nesters), without coming home to brown, dead vegetation.  And, for those, like Larry and me, who have chosen condo-living, succulents can be a great way to enjoy some green in a planter or on a patio, without having to have a big yard.  So, three cheers for those "good eggs," my new "flock" of hens and chicks!

Well-Heeled

I've been seeing the most amazing shoes on women lately -- thick-soled, ultra-high-heeled creations in bright colors.  I haven't actually seen any women walking in them but I've seen lots of photographs of women standing or sitting in them.  As I get older, I embrace comfortable shoes -- the kind that I can stand and walk in without feeling as if I'm going to turn an ankle or squish my toes into a permanent point.  As a young woman, I scoffed at the thought of ever reaching that tender age when wearing "sensible shoes" would seem so appealing, but alas, I've reached it (I have to admit that I reached it a while ago).  It's no wonder that podiatrists are treating so many bunions, hammer toes and other foot ailments.  Women, especially, tend to think that it's a good idea to cram our feet into fashionable shoes, yet secretly wishing that we were wearing simple flats. If life's a dance, I'd much rather feel the beat with happy feet!

A Brisk Wind

One of the first things I do when I get home from work is to take off my watch.  I'm through thinking about time for the day.  A busy young mother told me recently that her days often feel long, yet the years seem short.  I agree.  There are days that feel long because I've had so much packed into them.  At the end of such days, all I can do is flop into bed and fall into deep, rejuvenating sleep.  Yet, when I look back from one year to the next, each seems to have flown by.  "Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new," says a wise statement attributed to Paracelsus, a Medieval physician.  As I reflect on that brisk wind that I call my life, I am reminded of the preciousness of each day and the gift of enjoying even those days that feel long, for when I look back on them at some point, they will have gone quickly and the question I will ask myself is: Did I use those hours, those days to the very best of my ability?  Did I enjoy time for the gift that it is?

The Gift of Friends

This spring, I have had the opportunity to enjoy more special times with my friends than I've had in a while.  A breakfast, a walk, a song, or a quiet visit from a shady deck, I have been connecting more frequently with my friends. And it feels so good.  I heard a respected physician during an interview recently extol the benefits of socialization, noting that human beings were meant to socialize, not be isolated.  As we get older, that socialization reportedly helps prevent depression and may even help delay the onset of age-related dementia. I feel as if I'm the Socialization Poster Child lately, for I am so enjoying my diverse and wonderful friends.  They are amazing people with so many profound things to say, fascinating interests, and outlooks on life that positively affect my own. And it's not just me.  Larry and I together have been connecting with other couples in very pleasant and in sometimes new ways.  As an only child, you'd think I'd love my own company most of the time, but I derive energy from the presence of others (so long as there's a balance of some quiet time, too), so this connection is life-affirming to me. When it's all said and done, I won't look back to measure my life based on my so-called accomplishments or if my house was clean or whatever.  I'll reflect on the wonderful people who have touched my life and the memories I'm making today with those very special friends.

Sharing Talents

Sometimes, it takes a small child to deliver a big message.  Our church's children and youth presented a musical one recent Sunday with the message that we all have the capacity to do even the smallest things in order to make big change. At about the same time, I learned of three people I thought I knew fairly well who had what I would call hidden talents.  One surprised me by accompanying a children's tone chime and vocal choir on the piano at church.  Another person recently signed up to volunteer at our local nursing home where he will give of his time as an organist, providing much appreciated dinner music for the residents during their lunchtime.  And another person showed me a lovely eyeglass case she had created.  I also learned of two not-for-profit organizations that are doing tremendous work. I'd never realized the extent to which their missions were so far-reaching.  I also had a conversation with a gentleman who is affiliated with another noble local cause, who compared his group's work to Biblical Scripture about sharing our talents for the greater good.  These encounters made me start thinking about their common theme of talents. We all have gifts of one kind or another that contribute to our own joy, but may also have the capacity to contribute to the greater good.  What talents might we each have that could make a difference for someone else, no matter how small or insignificant we might think those gifts to be?

Oak Folks

A horticulturist friend told me recently that the strangely warm weather had expedited the budding and blooming of so many things this spring.  Yet, the oaks had stayed on their regular timeline and were leafing out when they normally would.  That got me to thinking about steadfastness and about those people I know who remain calm and steady and on terra firma, even in the face of rapid change, upset and the whims of the moment.  These folks, like the oaks, don't respond with a knee jerk to the latest craze or concern.  They hold fast and, thus, they help keep the rest of us holding fast.  I really honor those people who are the oaks in my life.

Rubbish!

When taking out the trash can the other night for the next morning's pick-up, the thought dawned on me that some people call our refuse rubbish, while others call it garbage, while yet others call it trash.  I attempted to find out if there was a difference in meaning between the three words, but came up dry.  Whatever you want to call it, I think it always feels good to dispose of it.  One thing I've noticed in recent months is that the amount of trash that Larry and I accumulate each week has greatly diminished.  Even the amount that we recycle has decreased.  We're buying fewer goods period, let alone goods in complex packages. Thus, we're reducing the amount of garbage we have to put out on the curb.  The less we have to dump, the more we're doing to help preserve the planet. And that's a good thing.