Feeding the Birds

There are times I definitely feel older. I don’t mean the aches and pains; it is more a state of mind. And not in a bad way either. Various ads, magazine articles and books extol the virtues of staying young. As the boomers start to leave middle age the encouraging mantra is, "You're only as old as you feel", "Sixty is the new forty." Really? Well, maybe in some aspects. Health care is such that we live longer, healthier lives. And staying physically active longer is a good thing. But growing older isn't such a bad thing is it? I love quotes, so I took a look at what I could find on growing older. This is just a tiny sampling of what I found.


Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.  ~Mark Twain
The years teach much which the days never knew.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many.  ~Author Unknown
Grow old with me!  The best is yet to be.  ~Robert Browning
Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.  ~Martin Buxbaum
It's important to have a twinkle in your wrinkle.  ~Author Unknown
Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.  ~Quoted by Francis Bacon, Apothegm


I spent a couple of hours at my daughter's house yesterday. She had yard work to do, and I sat in a lawn chair providing moral support. When I compare our yards this is what I see.....less attention to detail, less to draw the eye, less to listen to, less to tend to. Now I know I am generalizing somewhat here, but for myself, I saw it as a difference in where we are in our lives. She is at a point of busyness. No time to slow down, nor really any desire to do so. Home is where your closet and laptop are, where you throw parties and have friends over to hang out. And as a twenty something with no kids, I would say that is typical.


Home for me is my nest. A place I can be myself, wear what I want, do what I want. A place to slow down and enjoy peace. Flowers in bloom in beds and in pots on the porch. A pond to reflect upon. Wind chimes to bring notes on the breeze. Bird feeders filling the area outside my window, bringing beauty and song to my back porch. I love feeding the birds, slowing down, watching them. It wasn't always this way. When I was in my daughters shoes, I had none of this. But now, I feel older. Older, but more content. Older, but more observant. Older, but less rushed. Not really such a bad trade off in my opinion.
~Marla