Last night I watched the movie, Sweet Land. It's a story about immigration and a farm community in Minnesota. I am drawn to movies about adventure, farming, the land and life's journeys so this was a good choice for me.
When I see movies or read stories about days gone by, I feel nostalgia for the seeming simplicity of those days. Yet, I am not nostalgic for the back breaking work, isolation, and some limiting old time values days of old included. In Sweet Land, I drew inspiration from the scenes that displayed hard work, loving families, neighborly sacrifice/care, dedicated love, patience, and community celebration. And, I ached as I witnessed greed, prejudice, close mindedness, and the limitations of small community life.
A theme for my life these days has been the ways I want to grow old--how I want to live in the years ahead. I suppose I am thinking about this as I watch my parents near a century, my children embark on their own life journeys, and my professional career coming to an end. As I think of this, many new and long held paths come to mind.
Simplicity
A recurring theme in my life is simplicity. The words, less things, more time, headline this theme. I like to ponder, analyze, read, study, and wonder, and things simply bog down that favored activity. This will be a theme I carry into my old age.
No Judgement
Throughout my life, I have not liked those who judge often and harshly. Yet, I too can be judgmental. As I grow older, I want to rid myself of that trait. I want to replace judgment with open mindedness and an enthusiasm for what is new and different. To be judgmental is to close doors, turn people away, and limit the possibilities life holds.
Generous
I want to be as generous as I can be while still making sure I can fend for myself as much as possible. Like most people, I don't want to be a burden to those I love, but instead, I want to be a help and support to them.
Accepting
As I watch so many age all around me, I recognize that we also have to accept our limitations as we age. To fight against those limitations reduces our attractiveness and ability to gracefully and gratefully accept the help we need. Aging is not a simple process. In so many ways, it is a challenging process.
Develop Interests
There's so much to learn, investigate, and enjoy in life. To develop your interests and share those interests with others make life's journey so much more wondrous and positive.
Contribution
Looking for ways to contribute to the greater good also makes life more interesting and enjoyable at any stage, and I want this to be part of my growing old strategy.
Self Care and Health
These are essential ingredients to growing old in happy, productive, and positive ways.
As I young girl, my grandmother would lament her age often saying that she had only a few years left. I suppose she felt this way because her husband died fairly young and she expected to do the same. She ended up living more than thirty years past that time to her late nineties. That was too many years to focus on what she thought was only a few years left. Of course, at that time, the possibilities for older women were not as great as they are today--today what we can do in our later years is extraordinary. I prefer to focus on that amazing potential as I move forward on life's journey.
When I see movies or read stories about days gone by, I feel nostalgia for the seeming simplicity of those days. Yet, I am not nostalgic for the back breaking work, isolation, and some limiting old time values days of old included. In Sweet Land, I drew inspiration from the scenes that displayed hard work, loving families, neighborly sacrifice/care, dedicated love, patience, and community celebration. And, I ached as I witnessed greed, prejudice, close mindedness, and the limitations of small community life.
A theme for my life these days has been the ways I want to grow old--how I want to live in the years ahead. I suppose I am thinking about this as I watch my parents near a century, my children embark on their own life journeys, and my professional career coming to an end. As I think of this, many new and long held paths come to mind.
Simplicity
A recurring theme in my life is simplicity. The words, less things, more time, headline this theme. I like to ponder, analyze, read, study, and wonder, and things simply bog down that favored activity. This will be a theme I carry into my old age.
No Judgement
Throughout my life, I have not liked those who judge often and harshly. Yet, I too can be judgmental. As I grow older, I want to rid myself of that trait. I want to replace judgment with open mindedness and an enthusiasm for what is new and different. To be judgmental is to close doors, turn people away, and limit the possibilities life holds.
Generous
I want to be as generous as I can be while still making sure I can fend for myself as much as possible. Like most people, I don't want to be a burden to those I love, but instead, I want to be a help and support to them.
Accepting
As I watch so many age all around me, I recognize that we also have to accept our limitations as we age. To fight against those limitations reduces our attractiveness and ability to gracefully and gratefully accept the help we need. Aging is not a simple process. In so many ways, it is a challenging process.
Develop Interests
There's so much to learn, investigate, and enjoy in life. To develop your interests and share those interests with others make life's journey so much more wondrous and positive.
Contribution
Looking for ways to contribute to the greater good also makes life more interesting and enjoyable at any stage, and I want this to be part of my growing old strategy.
Self Care and Health
These are essential ingredients to growing old in happy, productive, and positive ways.
As I young girl, my grandmother would lament her age often saying that she had only a few years left. I suppose she felt this way because her husband died fairly young and she expected to do the same. She ended up living more than thirty years past that time to her late nineties. That was too many years to focus on what she thought was only a few years left. Of course, at that time, the possibilities for older women were not as great as they are today--today what we can do in our later years is extraordinary. I prefer to focus on that amazing potential as I move forward on life's journey.