Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Morning Thoughts--Acceptance


It is almost time for me to leave Mexico and I am missing it already. How is that possible? I have a feeling that I may shell out an extra two hundred bucks to change my ticket again and return before the seven weeks are over. That just seems like too long to be away from the life that I love.

Another part of me is looking forward to seeing my family again. And yet another part wants to travel when I get back from Portland. I am conflicted. I would like to live all those lives at once. According to the quantum theory, we do. We have many parallel lives. At least that is the belief some people have extracted from quantum physics. I think it is an over simplification of an extremely complicated theory. But it is fun to consider. I could be living in Mexico and Portland and traveling to other exotic places all at once. No limits.

One thing about getting older is that we become aware of more limits. I remember my mother saying to me, "That's the last time I......"

 (I have written about this subject many times. I hope I don't bore you with it again.)  I would feel irritated with her when she said she was doing something for the last time. How did she know it was the LAST time? That was just too depressing for me to think about. But of course she was right. Those were the last times.   And now in my own life I also have many LAST TIMES. Mostly they just slide past me because I am not that aware. Maybe my mother was more aware of the meaning of events in her life than I am.

I doubt if I will ever climb a tree again and I can add to this list hundreds of other things that involve risk to my body. After breaking my ankle, that list grew. When I was a little girl, I did cartwheels for hours at a time. I loved doing cartwheels. I can't remember my last cartwheel time because the desire  has left me too. Fortunately, as we shed the things we are capable of doing, our desire to do them also goes away. We adjust to our limitations.

Looks like I am writing myself into a depression. I had better quit before it gets too deep and I start writing about all the other things I will probably never do again......


20 comments:

  1. Hi Pat: Changing your ticket to return sooner is probably a good idea.
    I agree 7 weeks is a "l o n g" time to be missing your home in Ajijic.

    P.

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    1. Yes, You may be right. Thanks for commenting. p

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  2. You may not be able to do cartwheels (or want to), but you now know the true meaning of Meredith Willson's line of having the knowledge to know "what made Shakespeare and Beethoven great." Now, that is something you would not have dreamed of (or wanted to) at seven. Each stage f life allows us to be at our best. Even the stage that sends us gloriously off to eternity.

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    1. Hi Steve, Thank you for the inspiring words. Good to hear from you again. P

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  3. Pat,

    I like this quote:

    "Live each day as if it were your last, and love each day, because there really isn't any time to do anything else."

    Fixin' Dixon VA

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  4. Having recently retired, I've had many of the thoughts you've addressed. I find myself reflecting too much. I admire the fact that you've moved to a setting you love and you're taking advantage of everything it has to offer, last time or not!

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    1. Thank you for commenting and the compliment. I appreciate that. I am glad you can identify with the things I write about. That is very important to me. P

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  5. Bill M, friend of Don FJune 4, 2013 at 3:35 PM

    Pat, for each thing you can no longer do there are so many more that you can. I have to remind myself of that regularly. Heck, at my age I can view a favorite movie or read a treasured book almost as if it were the first time. Don says hi and sends his best. Have a wonderful trip, safe travels and look forward to meeting you in December.

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    1. Hi Bill, Thank you for that comment. And for passing Don's greeting on to me. Sounds like you two have developed a friendship. Very good. P

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  6. Lots of people can't say they love their life. You are fortunate to love yours and be living a dream many have for their retirement. Some say they can not be away from kids and grand kids they fear Mexico is dangerous beyond measure. It looks like you. Got the balance right. Congrats. Have a safe trip and enjoy your different surroundings.
    Cheers
    Shelagh

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    1. Thank you Peter and Shelagh. I appreciate your good wishes. P

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  7. Ah but at each age we acquire new interests to enjoy. At 7 it might be cartwheels, at 10 climbing trees, at 16 it's looking at boys, at 60 it's looking at flowers and the lake. Years earlier I would not have been content to sit in the yard and listen to the birds, smell the flowers, and listen to street sounds. That's more than a fair exchange for cartwheels and tree climbing, no?

    Enjoy Portland (I'm just up the road in Gig Harbor, WA)! We're having great weather now - as I write it's 77, and Portland is usually about 10 degrees warmer than we are.

    Barbara

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    1. Thank you for writing Barbara. Yes, today I looked at the Portland weather forecast for this coming month and there are going to be lots of sunny days. P

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  8. Way more fun than dwelling on all the things you'll never do again, is to think about all the cool things you do all the time that you've never done before. Just from reading your blog I can see you have lots of those. New stuff all the time is fun, too.

    JimS.
    Seattle

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    1. Thank you JimS. I think I am going to challenge myself to do something new every week. P

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  9. Dear Pat

    I am not good with words as you are....
    as Peter and Shelagh said above you are so fortunate to LOVE your life...we all have ups and downs ............
    Enjoy your 7 weeks with your family
    We will be back in Sept for 7 weeks in "your" home and I can't wait !!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Take care...............Collette

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    1. Hi Collette, Thanks for writing. I will be back in Sept. Let's get together then. P

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  10. Hi Pat, funny I was thinking the other night - with amazement - about how I used to bend backwards effortlessly into an arch, and do a whole series of cartwheels.

    I think the secret to aging is to gracefully cede our place in the world to the next generation - not make them feel guilty about it (like maybe your Mom did?). So maybe I'll go sit on a park bench and enjoy watching the girls do hooping in the park - I don't think cartwheels are so popular these days.

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    1. I don't know who wrote this but thank you. Sounds like a fun afternoon, sitting on a park bench. P

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