Seasons of My Life

No doubt lots of people prefer the Fall over any other time of the year, just as I do. Now that I'm in the autumn of my life--to quote Frank Sinatra-- I find that it has also become the favorite season of my life.

No one’s health will remain good forever, but while I do have good health, I’m free to enjoy the fruits of having lived a number of years on this planet.

Yesterday a friend told me this is the happiest she has ever been, and she is approaching 65! I reminded her that for years she has been working diligently on a number of “issues” in her life, and now she is able to enjoy the benefits of her hard work.

All of us are born into families and situations that affect who we are. “Issues” may be an overused word, but perhaps we can think of “issues” as comparable to the “Original Sin” of the Christian tradition. If we have the temperament to want to improve our character and grow (surprisingly, not all people are interested in that), we spend a fair amount of time and energy as adults working through our “issues”. It may take years of effort, but from personal experience I’ve seen that eventually you will emerge whole, and blossom into the person you are meant to be.

In 2001, a friend’s daughter jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. She was 14 years old. I have often longed to have been able to talk with her in the days leading up to her death. I would have urged her to hold on just one more day--she might have felt differently the next day. If only she had talked to a wise older woman, who might have told her that Life has its seasons. Yes, there are really hard times. The growing up years hold their own fears and obstacles. The parenting year are challenging too, even while there is immense joy watching your children grow into responsible adults. But if you hang on, if you can just make it to the next day, you might feel a little more hopeful about life.

Many times I’ve expressed gratitude to be alive in my sixties, inasmuch as many of my contemporaries have passed on. I know only too well how fortunate I am that my health is still good. Now I am hyper-aware that time is a precious commodity. I see each breath as a blessing, each person in my family a gift, every friend a surprising joy. Life is incredibly beautiful at 67, and I never would have thought it would be so.