Tag: wisdom

The Art of Being Outdated

Poetry, Uncategorized

I find it interesting how our culture puts so much value on vintage things but not vintage people.  Elders are often dismissed. Youth is revered.  On a construction job recently a contractor told my 71-year-old husband that he was “outdated” -never mind that he finished his work smoothly and on time.

Seriously.

Us older folks? Beneath our innocuous, wrinkled, gray, balding exteriors is a wealth of experience and wisdom.  The boomers of today were the changemakers and protestors of yesteryear.  My body is more fragile now but in return is insight and wisdom.  Contentment has replaced the incessant searching of youth. With a wealth of experience comes stories to be told.  Want to be entertained?  Drum up some conversation with an older person you would otherwise ignore

I let my hair go gray during covid ready to embrace my age. Why hide it?  There is nothing to be ashamed about.  This is me, I’ve survived and I have thrived.

Then, there’s something to be said of the people that can still navigate the world when the power goes out.

Antique

Of another era

high quality

lasting value

imbued with nostalgia

more durable than

its contemporaries

rich of character

often

an exterior well worn

hinting of

hidden stories

making it precious

an artifact even

sometimes

the most valuable

obscured with

the thickest layer of dust

images by Pixabay

Stop by my other blog on sustainable living, onesweetearth.blog

Wisdom From the Recesses of a Cluttered Desk

Uncategorized

My old writing desk needed a good sort, a good project for a chilly autumn day.  Amazing what you can learn from this exercise. While cleaning out the little cubbies I came across some scribbled bits of wisdom I recorded here and there from years ago. I thought I’d share some…

  • Sometimes the only clear way forward is looking backward.  Unknown
  • Freedom is what you do with what’s happened to you.  Jean-Paul Sartre
  • Bloom where you’re planted. St. Francis de Sales
  • We don’t have to live great lives, we just have to understand and survive the ones we’ve got- Andre Dubu
  • Above all, have fun- Julia Child

This is something I wrote a year ago on a loose slip of paper. I have no recollection of doing so…

If I were a brick in a hearth I wouldn’t have to wake up and wonder what the meaning of life was day after day.  I would know that I had a valuable part to play in the structure of things, surrounded by other bricks, joined by latticed gray mortar.  There I would remain day after day, year after year, warmed by the woodstove in winter, giving back my heat to the home.

I would watch the comings and goings of family, the bustle in the kitchen, cooking of meals, washing of dishes, the banter of daily life, the barking of the dog, the scamper of kittens.

But freedom would be wanting from my determined place on a wall

So I am not a brick in a hearth

Just a human trying to find her way.

Crafting a Personal Credo

ARTifacts, The Creative Process, Uncategorized

CREDO

“a statement of the beliefs or aims which guide someone’s actions”.

Over the years I have collected some words of wisdom that have guided me through this adventure we called life.  I decided to finally write them down in a format that was easily accessible.  At first, I considered a small booklet but then I settled on a poster format.  This would serve as a mini “Graffiti Wall” that I could access in an instant

This was a project I did not want to fuss over (avoid perfection, just get ‘er done).  I grabbed a 14” x 11” piece of cardboard, painted a coat of yellow paint over it with a little embellishment, put my cartoon self in the center, and then started writing my words and phrases on the board in different colors and sizes.  There is plenty of room for more guiding principles as this is an ongoing project.  You can never have enough words of wisdom.

I keep this posted in my studio and glance at it now and again.  It keeps me grounded as with my personal mission statement- but that’s a whole different post…

“Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Layughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations.“

RedSkelton