Part of the piece is this introduction. I did not write it. It came that way.
I first started reading this piece and was reading fast until I reached the third sentence. I stopped and started over, reading more slowly and thinking about every word. It is very thought provoking and makes you stop and think. Read slowly.
And Then It Is Winter
You know. . . 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 with my mate. 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 getting gray. 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. These people are not like the ones whom 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 of 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, 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 didn't, and, 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. 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 hear and 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 that It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver.
Life is too short to let even one day
be frenzied or frazzled or frittered away.
Life is too short not to take time to do
the things that will hold the most meaning for you.
So let yourself float like a leaf on a stream,
relax with your memories, and let yourself dream.
Throw out your list that's impossibly long,
and dance a few steps to a favorite song.
Turn off the news and go find someone real
who'll listen and talk and affirm what you feel.
Life is too short and flies by if you let it,
so choose what you want every day--and go get it.
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 and 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 four-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 three sizes of clothes in your closet--two of which you will never wear.
~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS.
It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.
Myrna wrote: I was just feeling this way myself. I am now 72 and I really am in the winter of my life.
Marti Wright wrote: You're only six years older than me. We're STILL spring chickens! I know what you mean though, there are days when I feel like I am 100!
Myrna wrote: I wouldn't feel so old but another classmate died recently. We had a class of approximately 350 and we are down nearly 50. A couple died during Viet Nam and several in accidents and of cancer and the like. However, most of the rest have died in the last couple of years.
Marti wrote: I had only gone to my 25th h.s reunion, and the 30th. We have had classmates pass. Our class was the largest that Astoria had ever seen back then. We had around 250, give or take. Not sure how many are left, but if any the one's that still are, if they are like they were in h.s.; they outlive us all!! LOL. They still acted like they were in h.s.....too much drama for me to handle then and now.
How is Lenoard doing?
Hugs to you both!
Myrna wrote: LHT had shoulder surgery three weeks ago. It was a success. Prior to that, he had his eyelids reduced so that he could keep wearing his contacts. Now he need catarac surgery and then he will be a new man. I have controlled the type 2 diabetes. I now weigh 120 pounds. Woo Hoo. :) It's too bad that I am all gray to go with it. I should have done the weight loss while I was young. Oh, well. Spilled milk and all that, right?
How are you?
Marti wrote: Am glad to hear the LHT's surgery was a success!! I have the beginnings of a cataract in my right eye. Also have "dry eye" where it is red and itches, so have drops. Its the pitts getting older. You still feel like that 18 yr old kid inside, but your body just won't let you do what you want to do anymore. Great news about the weight loss. I haven't really been trying to loose weight but have. Am only 10 pounds heavier than I was in 1971, which is 140. My mom was a diabetic, but was on pills only, no shots. Dr said, it usually skips a generation.........so am thinking Kimberly may qualify, not sure, and sure hope it doesn't. Had to get dentures and since I don't wear them to bed, I now have wrinkle lines all around my mouth. Makes me feel ugly and old. Just wish I had taken better care of my teeth when I was a kid. I color my hair........its vain, I know. But I have the very ugly dirty grey, if I don't. My mom used to go have get a "blue rinse" so her ugly grey didn't look so ugly anymore.
