94 In The Shade! How Did I Ever Get So Old?
Some thoroughly considered thoughts and conclusions.
Illustration©Cristina Villar Martin/123rf
In hopes that they will be helpful, here are my thoroughly considered thoughts and conclusions that have taken all these years to learn.
Time is irrelevant; it’s what we do with it that matters. We often set daily goals for ourselves that are unrealistic ,and we forget that it is us who has assigned the burden of doing the impossible. So, look over your list, cross out whatever can wait a day or two, lighten your burden and lift your spirits! I am down to one goal a day, which gives me time to read, play a little bingo online, plan my week ahead, daydream, and feel so much happier. There is always something that can wait, yet I can make every day count.
Begin to give away stuff that you have saved for “when you might need it, “ but you have never needed it and won’t need it for the next century. So, recycle, reuse, and reduce! Give to someone else who will love it and use it, whatever it is. I was wearing a flashy ring for the first time in several months, a friend admired it, so I gave it to her. She loves it and I am so happy to have given the ring to someone who will wear it often. Give, give, give. Give clothes, give kitchenware, give furniture, give bedding, towels, linens, and don’t forget to give thanks! Gratitude leaves you with a happy positive feeling. Someone will love what you have loved. How wonderful that your simple act of kindness has had such an impact on another’s life.
Stop buying things you don’t need and then have to worry about: “Oh dear, where shall I put it?” Just think a few minutes. You’ll discover you don’t really need it. The deeper truth is, you might be kind of a pack rat. Admit it out loud and move forward! How good I feel about my self-restraint while saving money.
Be good to yourself in other ways. I usually put my PJs and robe in the dryer for five minutes before putting them on in the cooled house before having a nice cup of tea and watching TV or reading.
And, my greatest learning of all is: You are in charge of yourself — every word you say, every thought you think, every interaction you have (with whom, when and where), and how you react to everyone and everything. Your life may not seem to fit my theory, but in the final analysis, it most likely does.
As you matriculate through each day of this negative, depressing, and often very challenging atmosphere of our extremely endangered planet, please keep in mind that there is always hope for the future, but it will depend on each one of us staying positive, kind, grateful, and using every day to help others to be happy. Thus, we will be happy ourselves, or at least more fulfilled. When you reach your 94th birthday, please share what you have learned in all those years. Someone is sure to listen to some of it.
Reprinted with permission from A Curriculum of Hope for a Peaceful World, Spring 2023.
Jeanne Morascini is the founder of A Curriculum of Hope for a Peaceful World Newsletter, now in its 37th year of publication in print and online, with readers in 18 countries. She can be reached at jemora@aol.com or 860-228-9293. To sign up for a free online subscription, contact hshea@snet.net.
