Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. ~ Samuel Ullman
On Tuesday there were two monumental
happenings in my life. I woke up and
suddenly I was getting old… I packed up #2 son for his last first day of school
and #1 daughter turned 30!
So far as #2 son, I thought I would be jubilant;
in a few short months there will be no more lunches to pack, no more books to
cover, no more parent teacher conferences, no more homework help. But as most “adults” when I get what I think
I want I am not happy with it. It is the
end, all my babies will have graduated.
There is happiness and pride in their successful graduation but there is
sadness too because now their problems will get bigger than I am able to help
them with. I can read their books to
help them with a report, I can organize their research, I can pack a lunch that
their friends try to steal, I can correct their “me and Jim” to “Jim and I” but
after this they are all on their own.
And how, when I only graduated “a couple of
years ago” did I end up with a 30 year old kid?
1982 was only a couple of years ago, right? I know her father looks old
and I know she went to Iraq, married and has two kids of her own but…30?! Already?!
How the hell did that happen?!
And to top it off the garden got a little out
of hand while I was playing with the grandbabies. Trying to tame the savage beast and put it
all in jars had me feeling cranky, exhausted and achy. Both physically and emotionally OLD!
But as this week draws to a close I see jar
after jar of garden produce . I know while
#2 daughter and #1 son are at their jobs, #1 daughter will call me at 8:08 when
her husband leaves for work and we will discuss how awesome my grandchildren
are and then #2 son will come home from school and after grabbing a quick bite
he will leave for work.
I may be getting old but I am not done yet. My children are all close and happy well
worth the tears and grey hairs. I guess my aches and pains are battle scars and
I guess there are some good points in getting older and children moving on.
I am not saying I won’t waiver or shed a tear
wishing both them and I were younger again but I guess I have to look at it
like this…
I will never be an old (wo)man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am. ~ Francis Bacon
Yikes in 15 years #1 grandson will be close
to his graduation! I am going back to
bed!
3 comments:
Gray hairs are from the younger three
Oh dear, don't I wish my daughter was but 30 yrs. She is my baby, and this year turned 45. LOL
I love your little quote too. Very good.
Thanks for the chuckle, and I am sure you have MANY GOOD YEARS left in you, for more gardening, grandchildren, or anything else you might want from life.
Just a note, for some reason you blog updates are not showing on my reader list. Not sure why. I'm just glad I remember to check myself now and then. Otherwise I would miss you very much. :)
Oh, Judy, this was too funny! And so true. You should never think of children and grandchildren in years compared to yours! That will certainly age a person. Gray hairs....I tell my now adult kids...my hair should be platinum blonde by now...every gray hair is a badge of honor! And the grandkids, well, they just keep you young! Age is just mind over matter - if you don't mind - it doesn't matter!! Have a great week!
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