Yesterday..... myself, my two sisters and my bf (who we call lil sis), did our annual celebration for my birthday by going to the mall and having our Hot Dog on a Stick with lemonade along with a day of shopping! It's just a goofy ritual we do every year, it brings us together and we just laugh and have fun all day! By the time I got home I was exhausted but the memories will forever be in my mind and available to recall whenever I need them!
 |
| I often wonder who originally owned some of the vintage items I've aquired and what those women were like! Wouldn't it be facinationg to be able to bring them to your home now and hear their stories of when or how they got the hand held mirrors or the colorful velvet flowered hats! |
When I was at the mall a met a few strangers that I engaged in conversation, and in looking back while writing this story I realize that by me taking the time to talk with them that I actually saw a deeper piece of their soul and whether they realize it or not, I will forever have that knowledge of them as people! One man was sitting on a couch at the mall with his son, they looked like they were from India and his son appeared to be mentally challenged, the man had gloves on with a scarf, so I asked him why he was so bundled up. He told me that he has pain in his hands and body and the warmth relieves some of his pain. As I continued to talk with him we realized we both had very similar pain that we dealt with such as the sharp pain that radiates around our thumbs. We empathized with each other and we also laughed about a few things. My first impressions of them were immediately dismissed as soon as I got to know them but I can't help but think of the deeper story they both could have shared with me if we had more time!
Later in the day I saw this woman who was older (later found out she was 80 years old), she was gorgeous! Upon first noticing her I thought...I hope I look like her when I get older! So, of course I struck up a conversation with her by telling her how beautiful she was and how I loved her style! Her soft tousled loose curls were pulled up like a Katherine Hepburn hair style and her accessories were classy yet funky! As we talked she told me that she really missed looking youthful because her spirit was still young but it didn't match how she looked on the outside. I could totally relate since I felt a similar regret that my youth was something in the past that could never be retrieved again but we went on to talk about finding peace with exactly where we were at right now and how to be the best we can be right in the moment! I'm glad I engaged her in conversation because it felt nice to be able to share a bit of our souls with each other.
How profound is it that our children or grand-children only know who we are now! They don't know that we had lives apart from them or that we set a lot of who we were aside to give them the mommies in us. As I spoke to my sister this morning it became such a clear epiphany that my son, daughter in law, her sons or daughter in laws...have no idea of who my sister used to be! No idea at all! They only know her as mom or grandma and as we grow older and our families grow, the women we used to be get buried alive under duties and obligations.
 |
| Will my grand-daughter's daughter ever know that her mom was an excentric little girl with a sense of imagination that went to the stars and back! Will she ever know how she danced without inhibitions and sang sweet songs to comfort others? I hope so! |
We can become the women we mature into without loosing the women we once were, and we can do it creatively! We can also slow ourselves down a bit to stop and get to know another person a little deeper! Just complimenting someone will give you that opening and we all know how good a compliment feels! The simple act of acknowledging someone can make their whole day! We all have "who we used to be" still in us and to just be able to share with your own child or your grand-children that you used to be a dancer or the life of the party or even a closet dreamer or a person who served humbly and quietly. That will enrich their knowledge of you and allow them to know a more complex and interesting you. It can inspire them in ways you'll never know as they process it for themselves and incorporate the new information into your profile that they store in their hearts!
Who you were before who you are, is an exciting and integral part of the whole you and it should never be buried under duties but shared proudly! We have wisdom and exciting stories that would bless our children and their children and their children! And equally as important is to engage others, to hear their stories, and those temporary moments with them can be blessings for all parties involved! I don't think the man at the mall with the handicapped son ever thought that someone would care about his pain or empathize with him that day. I'm also positive that he never, in a million years would have dreamed that he would be written about in a blog post for all the world to read! From the pain that the man in the mall suffers with, to finding your inner child and celebrating them, there is wonder, purpose, excitement, love, caring and grace in it all! Share yourself and invite others to share with you....we all have something inside that's special and of worth! In a world that has become so polarized by titles, let's go deeper as humans and blur that line with acts of interest and sharing!
The "Old you" is a part of the "New you", so interview yourself frequently and extract those insights to create an inner scrapbook of how you came to where you are now! Add to it the stories you hear from others and you will find that as you age, your conversations don't have to be about Medicare, Dr. appointments or constant complaining....but you can have exciting stories that will make people want to be around you and you may even start enjoying your own company too! Reach in and reach out in your own special way and you will find many hidden and buried treasures that will enrich your life and the lives of others!
Life not Hell By Dee Hartmann
There was a sea I sailed, till upon land I finally came;
I built a life upon the sand, but missed the storms and rain!
The tossing of the waves, made my journey one of life;
Now living on the sand, I tend to miss the strife.
The strife my friend made life, a story worth to tell;
The quandary's, trials and challenges,
Was part of life not hell.
Life upon the sand, seems monotonous and dull;
I miss my life upon the seas, the stories I could tell!
The answer lies not in, returning to the sea;
but telling others of, the adventures that lie in me!
We share our stories on the sand,
Old ways no longer we demand;
No need to ride the waves at sea,
The waves now live their life through me!
No comments:
Post a Comment