Short takes
As I wander through thought landscapes during a day, I come upon ideas that strike me as blog-worthy. I don’t always develop all of them fully enough so that they can sit on a screen like this, all dressed up in themes, sub-themes, personable writing styles, eye-catching phrases, a spiritual connection or attention-worthy importance to readers’ lives. So these little idea-seedlings they sit there, waiting to grow into entire blogs.
What follows today are some not-yet-sprouted noodlings that may warrant further expansion down the line. They’re waiting for more thinking—perhaps yours…?
Sharp as a tack
Somehow we old folks are supposed to feel complimented when someone describes us as “sharp as a tack”. I’m not sure what that means, since tack tips are actually dull –NOT sharp like a knife. What’s more confusing about this metaphor: Tacks can hurt us! Could those of us with strong cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual skills be described by a better metaphor? Do you have one?
(Not) busy
Every so often I hear from recently retired folks, “I’m more busy now than when I was working.” I’m not a fan of busyness, so my first reaction is not appreciative. There’s probably another side to this matter, though, that has to do with meaning and purpose. It may be true of these busy people that, after all these years of doldrum existences, they’re full-throttle involved in what they really care about, and loving it! So how does “busy” strike you?
Depressing medicines
Some older adults take more than one medicine whose side effects include depression. Turns out that polypharmacy—taking a several of these medicines concurrently—might be connected to a heightened risk of clinical depression and suicide. (See the Science Daily June 12, 2018 report about the University of Chicago study at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180612185204.htm.) Does this sound plausible to you—or familiar?
Second childhood
It’s a fascinating metaphor about this stage in life. Some older adults use other expressions to describe their post-retirement life—enjoyment, a sense of freedom, wide-open possibilities, starting over again. I think there may be something important in being a child again, only older! I’ve love to hear what comes to mind when you hear—or feel—this idea!
Finally
No one ever really “arrives”, but I think there’s something true about the idea: In our later years, we may have finally come to some stop signs, endings, culminations. At the same time “finally” could indicate that we’ve found what we’ve been yearning for. “Finally” feels both positive—at last, satisfaction, accomplishing lifelong goals—and not-so-positive—so many parts of life are coming to their conclusions. I’m not sure how to approach this many-layered idea, but am attracted to its delicious ambivalence—to its wonderfully spiritual meanings!
Quiet
Many older people I know seem quiet much of the time. I’m not exactly sure why this might be true, but I’m fairly certain that something good is happening inside these quiet folks. I’ve wondered if it’s just me, but it seems like there’s more noise—literal and metaphoric—in the world today. When it’s noisy in any way, I want to escape from that place or situation. Much of what we call “Gospel” could be wrapped up in stillness, calm, hush. Does any of this make any sense to you? Anything more that I should think about here?
And with that, my Not-Quite-Yet-Blogs bin is empty for now. I’m interested in knowing if/how any of these subjects strike you—how they could grow into full-fledged blogs.
How they could help you live well in the fullness of your years!
(To subscribe, go to the upper right hand corner of the top banner and click on the three parallel lines or three dots. Scroll down to the subscription form and enter your information.)
