There are so many quotes to support the idea my dad told me about enjoying my 14th summer. He wanted me to not wish my life away wanting to be old enough to: drive, go to college, live on my own, travel to Europe.
Thoreau, Emerson, Ferris Bueller - all the great philosophers - knew something that so many of us never quite understand. It is the richness of one day.
I was reminded the other day in conversation with an acquaintance who had suffered a stroke about a year ago. He is doing well, but occassionally has difficulty finding the right word. They are in there, and he needs a few more seconds to find them.
In some very profound ways this stroke has made him more appreciative of his days. His vision is better and by that I mean he sees the important things more clearly. He commented that he had stopped one afternoon to watch some robins do some very robin behaviors. He spent a long time watching them. It was something he might not have taken the time to observe previously. Those moments spent simply being aware had made his day more memorable, fulfilling and richer.
We should all be so lucky!
As I was considering our conversation and reflecting on my work outdoors and this awkward transition to retirement I have been making over ten years, I realized that I too have become more aware. It’s not only the lessons I teach to students on canoe trips. Although, developing lesson plans for awareness and observation have certainly helped put me in the right place.
As the third act is taking shape, I discover that I too am prone to looking forward to the sunrise, seeing the joy in my labs eyes and gate as he runs to me and then suddenly away, as if to encourage me to join him in some fun. I notice the mushroom or hole something has dug in my yard and rather than pass it by or fill it with dirt, I am more likely to investigate.
When I am trying complete a yard project and my cattle dog looks at me with those dark eyes, as if to say, “how are you?”, I often just sit down, invite her to join me and roll around and play with her until she gets distracted. I look to connect rather than complete whatever was on my list.
And Thoreau’s quote comes to me and reminds me that there is so much to appreciate about the day. From a pre-dawn stretch and inventory of the backyard, to watching the dark blue eastern sky turn pastel then a blaze of warmth with an accompanying morning chorus.
Sitting on the park bench in the middle of a morning walk with the dogs and feeling the different temperatures of the breeze and sun on skin. Shade provides varying forms of relief dependiing on the time of day and month of year. A difference of five degrees can mean we are going on the six mile walk or we are turning back after just one and and a half.
I used to think old people who took pictures of birds were cashing it in, too tired to enjoy ALL THAT LIFE OFFERED. It seemed sad and I vowed to never become one of “those old guys”. But that isn’t necessarily true. It might be they, like Emerson, Atticus and Lounsbrough, have learned patience, to dwell slowly on beautiful things and how to spend time in a garden.
So, I challenge you to:
Be where your feet are.
Enjoy the ride, not just the destination.
Smile, breath and go slowly.
Or as my off-road friends say, “As slow as possible, as fast and necessary.”
This dramatically slower stage in my life has allowed me to realize that Ferris was right, Life can move pretty fast and you could miss a lot if you don’t stop and look around once in a while.
“It requires more than a day’s devotion to know and possess the wealth of a day.” - Henry David Thoreau