Wednesday, June 30, 2021

June 30--The Wisdom of Years

The years teach much which the days never knew.  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

    As I impatiently watch the timer count down on the microwave, I remind myself that those are seconds of my life ticking away. That thought didn't cross my mind in younger days. 
    When I went to the orthopedic doctor the other day to have my sore knee checked out, the front desk person wrote "fall risk" in big letters on my paperwork. What? Where did that come from? Just from my age? I didn't fall to hurt my knee. I didn't complain of falling. I wasn't wobbling. Assumptions relative to age can certainly be maddening. 
    Looking back at earlier years, they were a whirlwind of finishing school, getting settled into working life, falling in love, getting married, being a homeowner, and having kids and raising them. In the meantime, I was working on my spiritual growth and recovery from addiction. Life was very full and rich, and it was all I could do to take one busy day at a time. It can be hard to see one's personal growth and learning each day, but as Emerson suggests, the perspective of years reveals much change and wisdom attained. 
    I offer words from the Serenity Prayer to summarize what the years have taught me:
    -the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
    -the courage to change the things I can,
    -the wisdom to know the difference.
    It's an ongoing practice!
        Leta


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