Someday…

Miscellaneous Musings by FunGirlDi

For years, I have daydreamed of having time to do things I want to do, rather than work an outside job or be a slave to the things I must do. If you are like me, you have plans to someday tackle projects or learn a new craft or hobby.

I will always say to myself, “Someday, I need to tackle my closets,” or “Someday, I want to teach myself to sew better.” I have oodles of books that I will one day read, but that Someday always gets pushed off. Tony Robbins was right, “The road of Someday leads to a town of Nowhere.”

Getting older is a wonderful thing and happens in the blink of an eye. I still feel like I am 25, but there are days when my stiff joints tell me otherwise.

I used to think that people in their 60s were old. I come to find out that age is really a state of mind. When I heard that when younger, I sadly would scoff at them and think these people made up an excuse and were in denial they were no longer young and vibrant.

This past summer, Ely Memorial High School celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the school. An All-Class Reunion was held along with a 45th reunion for my class of 1979. For me, I feel the same as I did the day I walked across the stage at Washington Junior High School (now Washington Elementary) to accept my diploma.

Just saying I have been a graduate for 45 years is a bit mind blowing. It seemed the time from kindergarten to my senior year took forever, but it is true the days, weeks and months feel unendingly long at times, but the years are fast.

Aging is a gift and those who are fortunate to grow into high numbers are truly blessed – especially if you keep your health and mental clarity.

As the years continue to march on, you realize how simple your plans become. I used to make fun of older people who were into bird watching. I finally have concluded it is an older person’s sport of sorts, if I may call it that. This sedentary sport can be done from sitting in an easy chair or watching out your kitchen window.

The different seasons bring different birds, bugs, and butterflies. When you are in your younger years, you do not have time to sit and watch out the window because you have too many things to juggle.

I was more than entertained for several weeks in August and September watching a skinny spider outside my kitchen window. He initially knit and then constantly repaired an oblong web during evening hours. He would pretend to sleep or be dead during the day until a bug would get caught in his web. He would spring to life and do what spiders do to their prey.

After his meal, he went back to his upside-down position. When he finally went missing and his show closed down, I felt a bit sad and knew what happened to him. I was thankful for my little spider friend and the entertainment he provided while I did the dishes. Another lesson that nothing is forever.

Parenting taught me so much, but one of my biggest regrets are all the times I was too busy to stop and smell the flowers. Literally. I weighed my worth on what I could accomplish rather than enjoy the moment at hand.

My parents got so much joy from tending to their gardens and my siblings and I many times rolled our eyes at their boring conversations about how the beans were exceptional or how the weed situation was that season.

I thought they were the most boring people, but this past summer, as I would spend time in my garden, I was filled with complete joy when I would see that first red tomato or the first bean crop when picked, would be enough to enjoy for dinner. In my younger years, I thought this was another older person’s wheelhouse and certainly not mine.

They say as you get older, you will turn into your parents. As I picked a bunch of beans this past week in October, I was thankful for the wonderfully warm months of September and October where I could pick fresh food that was chemically free and delicious. Many people complained about the summer-like temperatures, but I was loving the fact when thinking about the impending cold on its way. After a few snowfalls, winter gets old in a hurry, and we find ourselves pining with anticipation for spring.

Old age is something not everyone gets. I am in my early sixties (soon to be mid-60s) and look forward to the years ahead of me. George Bernard Shaw is quoted to have said, “You do not stop laughing when you get old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”

I agree wholeheartedly and most of my life have subscribed to that way of thinking. I can find humor in just about everything around me. I find myself laughing in the shower, cooking, doing laundry and cleaning.

Laughing has been my saving grace through many struggles. An incredible sense of humor is as important as taking prescription drugs. Laughing has wonderful side effects unlike the drugs advertised that list more side effects just short of getting hit by a bus as you cross an intersection.

Material items in my life that had tipped the scales in importance, have faded into oblivion and my wants have elevated into more blessings like good health, faith, and happiness.

Material things are only of this world and have lost their appeal. Simple is better. My father’s words once again come to mind, “The older you get, the less you need.”

When my mother was in her 80s, my siblings and I would get frustrated with her because she did not tackle her someday projects. She became tired and would sit still for hours praying the rosary while watching EWTN led by Sister Angelica. If you know, you know. BTW (by the way) that now has been assigned the acronym IYKYK. Now you are ITK (in the know).

Joy is such a gift. So is peace. When you have those two things in your life, you need less of everything else. I will feed the birds, (except when the bears come into the city), watch the Monarch butterflies as they flit around in my yard, and I will loudly complain during sandfly and mosquito season. That last item is our absolute right when you live in northern Minnesota.

I have a friend who leaves each phone conversation with, “Peace and God Bless You,” every time we talk. When you wish someone peace, you wish them so much. Having peace in one’s life is the biggest of blessings. Also, a parting, “God Bless You,” is a wonderful way to end a conversation. God’s blessings are around us every single day whether we acknowledge it or not.

Retirement is on my radar, and I am grateful I have reached this point in my life. At the same time, I am once again shocked at how fast time has gone. Since I live a simple life, and have been prudent with planning my financial situation, I look forward to days of no schedules, and time to tackle my “Somedays.”

Simple is the life I choose. When we used to laugh at our parents, I have arrived at that frame of mind and know now they had cornered the market on the things that truly make oneself happy.

If you drive by my house and see excess smoke coming from it, it is not a fire burning, rather it is my quick tackling of the projects that have sat for years.

Instead of dreading when I look at my lengthy list of projects, I have changed my thinking and cannot wait to tackle each one with a new vigor that has recently hatched. To all these projects I silently warn them of their impending finality and look forward to learning new things.

As I think about the years ahead, I came up with a new slogan.

“When you get to the days of retirement, you are allowed to laugh at “Someday.” ~Diana Mavetz Petrich I cannot wipe the grin off my face.