“Over time…” my dermatologist began last week, and I started to laugh. The good news was that over time, lots of spots and bumps appear that don’t amount to anything. The bad news is that things happen physically over time—or, as my brother says, “the wheels start coming off.” This is all I have to say on the subject of aging.
Time is on my mind because we are putting our Hartford condo on the market and I am—once again—clearing out belongings. Bill and I stood in our garage yesterday and looked up at all the boxes, suitcases and sports equipment on the shelves and he said, “This is a whole lifetime of stuff.” I don’t have any problem bidding adieu to the windshield scraper but it’s hard to give away the Kachina Doll that I bought for my son, then age 6, on vacation in New Mexico years ago. He doesn’t want it; I don’t want it either, except I want to keep the memory of that time so I’ll take a picture of it and then haul it and dozens of boxes of similar items to a donation center.
As I was making notes for this piece, I received a blog, “My Old Wheelbarrow,” from David Marsden, The Anxious Gardener. Coincidentally, this week he wrote about his attachment to things. He is a wonderful writer and photographer and even if you don’t give a fig about gardening, you can enjoy his blog about working in a large estate’s garden through the seasons and its changes over time.
And speaking of Overtime—how about that UConn vs. Notre Dame game? We rooted for the Huskies, of course, but despite their loss, it was a thrilling battle. Watching those young women work together, playing so skillfully yet in a way very different from college mens’ teams, I thought about what great examples of teamwork, hard work and self-confidence they are. I’m glad our granddaughter is growing up with their example.
Have a good week!
*Photo by Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash