Thursday, September 3, 2009

Chronological Correction

*

The Seasons of our Lives...







We caught up with
old and dear friends
over the weekend
and of course
in all the catching up
I introduced them to my blog,
where you may have noticed
that in my profile
I tell you that I am
in the early autumn
of my life...


At dinner discussing our ages
and the seasons of our lives
it was suggested
that a certain
chronological correction
was in order












Instead of thinking of life
as divided into four broad categories
reflecting the four seasons:

where spring lies from 0-25
summer from 25-50
autumn from 50-75
and winter from 75-100


we decided that
it would be better
to consider childhood
as a period of germination
and begin the season
of spring at 20 through to 40
summer from 40 through to 60
autumn from 60 through to 80
and winter from 80 onwards...











this new hierarchy
of seasonal change
then put the engineer
of this system
in early autumn,
with a new lease on life

his wife,
the namer of this post,
finds herself
in mid summer
with many adventures
yet to come

My beloved has just
slipped over the cusp
of summer into autumn
and is beginning to show
a few signs
of colours changing

and I am still enjoying
an Indian summer
and feeling languidly
invigorated




Oh Happy days











Where are you placed
in this new
seasonal chronology



and more importantly
what are you enjoying
about this particular season
of your life?




*

53 comments:

  1. Hi, Delwyn--

    I find the seasonal metaphor for a lifetime to be very evocative.

    I live a multi-seasoned existence.

    I feel 5 years old several sustained moments of each day teaching kindergarten. I love popping into childhood wonder.

    Sailing my Laser, I feel all of 25.

    When I'm around the student teachers, I feel about, oh, 30. I don't like it when they make it obvious I'm as old as their parents.

    In my dreams, any age goes.

    Sometimes when I wake up, I feel all of my 58 years.

    On sleep-deprived mornings I feel older than my years, assuming that it is possible to know how it feels to be older than one is.

    Am I unusual? I'm guessing all of us enjoy a certain degree of chronoillogical flexibility.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Dan

    this is another good way to look at the seasonal metaphor...we can be all things at different times...in different moods, with different energies, and different states of mind...


    I find that while the body is heading towards autumn the mind and the spirit are still frollicking around in spring...

    Thanks for sharing here Dan and giving the post another layer...

    Happy days

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  3. Delwyn, you are surely getting more lovely as each season passes.
    I am early -ish summer, and hope to be also like a fine wine, and improve with seasonal changes.
    Your post made me smile in an otherwise awful day. Thanks.xx♥

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  4. Hi Natalie

    I'm glad that the post lifted your spirits today...take care, go easy on yourself...

    Happy day

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  5. Your pictures are very beautiful. You look so exotic and attractive at any age.

    I agree about your correction. As for spring I would rather say 18 through to 40, which doesn't change much though.

    Being almost 61 I am in my autumn phase as well. I'm enjoying my greater freedom of taking care of my hobbies like writing and reading.

    Let me express one doubt only, for the sake of discussion. Aren't your seasons under evaluating childhood a bit?

    By saying that it is just 'germination' (of an adult?) one risks of considering only the weaknesses of that age (what a child lacks in character etc.), and not its creative potential.

    Let us not forget Einstein sticking out his tongue.

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  6. Hello Man of Roma

    How nice to see you again and thank you for your kind remarks...I am flattered...

    So an early autumn leaf turner huh...
    With a great season ahead of you...

    As a teacher and a counsellor I can never underestimate the importance of childhood and the momentous development of the mind and character and spirit that occurs at that time.

    This hierarchy was not meant to be a serious proposition - it was devised after a few glasses of wine in order to buy ourselves some more time, in theory, before we edged towards winter...

    I agree that each child is packed with potential, like a seed that has lain dormant in the pyramids for 2000 years can germinate given the right conditions or the seed under the snow that in the winter becomes the flower...

    BUT childhood is more than unexpressed potential isn't it. It is the time for exploration of the world, for new experiences and great learning. It is a time of incredible input.

    So there we have the blending of the inner potential and the outer experiences giving rise to that age old discourse of nature and nurture...

    Thanks for adding your thoughtful comments to this humble discourse MoR. Tell me about Einstein...

    Happy day

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  7. Delwyn...
    I have slipped over the cusp
    of summer into beutiful autumn...I say beautiful autumn, because I love this time of my life...if only because of the freedom, leisure, and appreciation of life my age has given me...physically I feel I am still in my summer phase...but best of all...
    my granchildren have given me my spring back! Happy Days as you say Delwyn!

    Wanda

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  8. Hi Wanda

    I love this time of life too for all those things you mention but I hadn't thought of the way grandkids can give you back the spring...that's a really good description ...and a way to be...I have that to look forward to yet...

    thanks for your visit...to me you are just a spring chicken...

    Happy day

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  9. Einstein, I cannot say much. He was sticking his tongue to paparazzi, if I recall well. The great genius sticking his tongue like that? Some people were puzzled, but I think in this he showed how the child was still in him, which made him even more creative, I believe.

    I remember Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the great Indian philosopher, saying somewhere that every person, to be perfect, should be man woman and child at the same time. I’ve also always thought this could be perfection in some way.

    But I might like to think about that to console myself of the fact that sometimes I like to joke like a child :-)

    Have a good end of day dear Delwyn.

    MoR

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  10. Hi Delwyn:

    I'm with Dan on this - it depends on my inner mood, and sometimes the outer circumstance. But the chronological truth is that I have just entered the early autumn phase of your categories. And while I try not to get stuck in categories there are inevitable delights and challenges that come with every age.

    Loved seeing the beautiful pictures of you. You are as appealing physically as I imagined you - and, of course, the beauty on the outside matches the beautiful soul I have been discovering within.

    Look how creative one can get after a few glasses of wine and good conversation with friends. I am anticipating the next post that results from such stimulation.

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  11. MoR

    Oh to be able to joke and laugh freely like a child, to have the spontaniety, to share their joi de vivre, to have the eyes of a child where everything is new...

    I like your perfect person concept...a real balance of attributes and attitudes, energies and perceptions...

    Happy days

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  12. Hi Bonnie

    they were interesting, flattering and funny comments of yours...

    Unfortunately the good friends have returned to Melbourne...but they will return...

    And like Dan and yourself I think that we can cross over all seasons...I'll just have to convince the body that it's in spring tomorrow when I do two consecutive classes...

    Happy days Bonnie

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  13. I'm in summer - oh how I wish that my body felt that way! But, my mind does. I love the summer of life. I'm comfortable with myself in a way that I never was when younger.

    I'm pretty sure that your spirit is still in springtime - so hopeful and happy!

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  14. Well Delwyn I am in the Summer according to the second list. However Autumn is my favorite season and I look forward to getting there too.

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  15. Delwyn, you and your friends are extremely wise...I think that's because of where you are in your new chronology...which by the way I believe is absolutely brilliant!! It speaks to what my friends and I have been talking about -- how we don't feel the way we think our parents did at these same ages...we certainly don't dress and "act" the same way...so this revision is in fact brilliant!

    I'm with you my dear Delwyn...enjoying a beautiful Indian Summer!! ♥

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  16. You know the old adage, "You're only as old as you feel"...or act, I'd like to add. I enjoyed seeing your photos zipping along the timeline.

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  17. Delwyn this is a very thought provoking post (but then I always expect that when I come here for a visit)
    "BUT childhood is more than unexpressed potential isn't it. It is the time for exploration of the world, for new experiences and great learning. It is a time of incredible input."
    I think my mind hasn't caught up with the fact that I am 62; because it is my time for exploration, new experiences....
    I am an "out of the box" thinker so I don't like to be compartmentalized. No,no there are no "seasons" for me.
    My grandkids told me a long time ago "Grammy, don't be an old timer"
    So I was pretty shocked when I looked in the mirror one day and caught just a glimpse of an old lady. That is why in 3 days I am embarking on my 500 mile trek across Spain. They say it is a journey of self discovery...well.. I must go meet and get acquainted with this person who is trying to emerge.

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  18. I'm in the fall, and since autumn is my season of regeneration, I am looking forward to what this chapter of my life will unfold!

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  19. This was so beautiful...the metaphorical seasons! I am just into the autumn of life age wise, physically try to stay in the late summer although winter sometimes creeps in. I am delighted to not return to the spring of my life and enjoy the bounty of the autumn harvest with wisdom and the knowledge that season brought. You are gorgeous!!

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  20. Yes, indeed you are gorgeous, Delwyn. And not only are you blessed with beauty on the outside, but it is there - in abundance - on the inside as well. Long may you enjoy your Indian Summer.

    As for me? I guess I'm just seasonless, like most of my beloved Africa. Or maybe, like Africa, I have a rainy season sometimes.

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  21. Indian summer. I like that concept, particularly because I love Indian summer, with sky so blue it hurts your eyes, warm afternoons, and clear crisp cold evenings. As for what I love about my own season, it's the fullness of my power, the curiosity that never abandons me, and sense of being on the absolute right path.

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  22. I, too, think it's a divided analogy. It's OK to appear as entering the autumn years, which I am doing. However, on the inside - in the heart - it is always Indian summer. I think I desire to keep it that way. Nothing more fun than an electric guitar, or a fastball aimed at your head.

    Love your posts....

    EFH

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  23. I like your new seasonal classification, i had thought something along those lines for a while, but hadn't put it so elegantly! I'm just entering summer then and enjoying it very much,...

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  24. Hi Kb

    You are right on two counts; that as the seasons mature we gain a sense of comfort in ourselves; and I am full of spring spirit...I try to see the world through child's eyes to appreciate the wonder...

    Go easy on that body...take good care of it

    Happy days

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  25. Hi Lori

    there is something mellow about autumn, out of the glare and the heat of the sun - less pressure to perform or achieve...a slow coming in to our own, a relaxing...

    Happy days

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  26. Hi Delwyn, I have begun to call myself an "old woman," but not in a derogatory way. My hair is gray, my skin is aging, but how I look and who I am may be different entities. There is still a child within all of us - an open mind, a receptive spirit - these are ageless, I think. Luckily, you don't lose the other seasons when you pass on to the next...

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  27. Delwyn, lovely pictures. We am happily settled into the Autumn of our seasons with the warmth of Summer still touching our backs. Going on your new season ages, Spring and Summer were vibrant, happy, sad, sometimes tough but I'm proud to say we did it well and are now enjoying the rewards, while still maintaining the body and mind for Winter years of contentment.

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  28. hello delwyn - i tried the idea of seasons out on some of my colleagues. i've worked with these people for anywhere from eleven to nineteen years so they know me (too) well! i said "place me on a seasonal continuum". they placed my body at mid-summer, my mind at autumn, my maturity at early spring, but overall "timeless". my chronological age is 52. i loved the pictures of you. it's amazing to see the change in energy quality over the course of those photos delwyn. it shines all the way through. have a lovely morning by the river. steven

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  29. Hi Delwyn! You have been so beautiful at every age! and the expression now is that the 60's are the new 40's. So that gives you something to look forward to! Plus now you're in your 20's or
    30's! That little girl looks so incredibly Irish! You have to have some Irish in you! One thing I've noticed about you is that you take care of yourself. exercise, fresh air, healthy meals, time for work, play, spirituality, rest, keeping up with technology, literature, the arts. Food for thought! xx

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  30. I love the new life post...

    I am in the summer of my life. I know enough that the sun will burn me if I'm not careful, when enough is enough and how to enjoy it just the same...

    I love summer. Golden moons, butterfly's, garden's bursting with life. I think perhaps I was born to be this age.

    Thank you for a provocative post.

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  31. I love the new life post...

    I am in the summer of my life. I know enough that the sun will burn me if I'm not careful, when enough is enough and how to enjoy it just the same...

    I love summer. Golden moons, butterfly's, garden's bursting with life. I think perhaps I was born to be this age.

    Thank you for a provocative post.

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  32. I love the new chronology. I'm still in summer now, and I have a few more years there! Sounds good to me.
    You look wonderful in all of your photos, by the way.
    I'm enjoying being comfortable with who I am. I love having grandkids and free time, and a retired husband.

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  33. Oops, should be 'we are', I changed the I to We and forgot the 'am'! Hilarious!

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  34. Hi Barb

    I love that view Barb...

    the child we were never leaves us and if we are lucky we can resurrect a little of her zest and passion for the world, for newness and adventures, for the unknown...

    and your second point is great too, we become a conglomeration of a life.
    Hey, I like that ...we fall into the fullness of life as we age...

    Thanks for this great contribution Barb, I love your company...

    Happy days

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  35. Hi Alaine

    It is nice to be able to slow down into autumn knowing that you have grown, blossomed, flowered, and fruited, and now can feel comfortable with you efforts and their results...But still taking good care of the body and the mind to maximise this next season...

    thanks Alaine for this thoughtful and personal addition...

    Happy days

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  36. Steven
    Hello My old mate (well in blogging history you are one of my most ancient of friends - I actually read some of your blog way, way back, long before we came friends - when I was searching for Basho...)-
    any way my old friend, who is in the summer of life...full of the zest and zip of spring, lean and fit as a youngster, agile of mind and inquisitive in spirit...my timeless friend...

    I had another look at my portraits and felt the energies of each of those times that show through, and wondered if we would concur on them...very interesting...

    thank you for your much appreciated comments...

    Happy days

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  37. Thank you Margaret, with those flattering comments you can be my friend for life...but then I think you would be anyway...


    I don't know if I am quite that young... One side of my family has Scottish heritage...You are right Margaret I do value my body, mind and spirit enough to feed it suitable and nourishing foods...(except the ice cream...)and try to live a balanced life which of course is that much easier now that the time is largely all my own...

    take care Margaret

    Happy days

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  38. Hello Cook x 2

    enjoy the summer and all it's energies and ripe fullness. I am savouring the final days of my Indian summer ...being more aware and observant as well as active and immersed...

    thanks for adding your ideas today..

    Happy days

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  39. Hi Janie - a fellow compatriot in an Indian summer -

    thanks for the generous remark - it is nice to occasionally show our face, reveal ourselves a little....

    I have no grandkids yet and look forward to that time. My 4 kids were very spread out and the baby is only 19, so I felt I was mothering for so long - over 30 years, that I am enjoying a break for a little while before new babies arrive....

    Happy days

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  40. I am an early Autumn and just like the season, things are beginng to fall!
    Really enjoyed your post.
    Sunny :)

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  41. Hello Funny Sunny

    I know that feeling - gravity - dang! and I know that feeling of the wheels falling off too...

    Oh well...we are still here...and grateful for that...

    Happy days

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  42. Hi Rita
    Thanks for your visit and comments...
    I think there can be a great resurgence of adventure and exploration when we are this age, we no longer have the responsibilities and duties of middle age...

    I am very envious of your trip and wish you a great adventure and much self discovery...

    Happy days

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  43. Hello Willow

    I read that you love autumn as you were born in Oct and feel an affinity for that time of year... happy fall Willow

    Happy days

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  44. Hello Alicia

    I like your reference to autumn harvest and it reminds me of that old poem- by Goethe

    We can't hope to be mowers
    and gather the ripe golden ears, unless we first have been sowers
    and watered the furrow with tears...

    thanks for bringing that poem to mind Alicia...

    Happy days

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  45. Hi Tessa

    thank you for these sweet comments.

    A seasonless woman...hmmmm , you must be an earth mother Tessa...

    Happy days

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  46. Hi Meri

    Do you use that phrase?I know it well and what it means but why does it mean that?


    Oh Meri what an achievment - some of it born of struggle and some born of joy...to feel that you are on your right path... I feel that you are too...

    Happy travelling Meri

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  47. Hi expat...

    It is Ok of course to be anywhere in the seasonal analogy whether it is chronological or not...keep on the wild side expat...

    Love your company

    Happy days

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  48. Hi Juliet

    Just entering summer - oh you little chicken you...

    well we have plenty of old wives' tales for you then...

    live it up, enjoy the heat of summer...

    Happy days

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  49. Hello Sherry

    You are so right. I can't believe I am the age of my mother when I look back to the time she was my age...I feel so much more vibrant and full of vim than she was...and yes we keep on acting and playing as if we were much younger...I can't imagine my Mum on a stand up paddle board!!!

    Happy days

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  50. Hi there Lynne

    thanks for coming over today and looking sooooooo young...

    Happy days

    ReplyDelete

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