It took longer than I would have liked but now, for Part Two of my ‘notable’ thoughts for 2020.
11. “Don’t let the old man in.” My husband can take credit for noticing and calling my attention to this statement he heard Clint Eastwood make when he was interviewed at his annual golf tournament. The TV host apparently commented that Clint was certainly going strong for someone his age, and then asked what he attributed that to. And Clint said “I don’t let the old man in.” Because we are, to a great degree, what we think about, this is a very pithy way to remember to not get sucked into ‘old’ mentality. Try new things…listen to some new music…experiment with new fashion styles…and don’t, don’t, don’t get sucked into talking about your physical ailments. Let your inner teenager come out to play.
12. And in that same vein, engage as much of the full power of your mind as you can. We all know that we don’t even come close to harnessing what our minds are truly capable of. But don’t underestimate what you can pull on if you just ‘put your mind to it’. (Pun intended.) I have two photos that I love that serve as visual reminders of this. The first is one I’ve written about before (you can read the whole story here.) I was unexpectedly the star of a hypnotist’s stage performance and it forever imprinted on my mind just how powerful the mind can be.
The second photo is of my paternal grandfather – I love the exuberance of his standing on one leg atop his horse. And from his note, it sounds like he could even stand on his head on one horse he had. Granted, he was a young man in this photo, but his love of life was obvious even as he got older. Mind over matter – that’s something that matters!
13. “This is Water”. I recently came across this recommended 2005 graduation speech in Tim Ferris’s newsletter that I get every Friday. The speech is by David Foster Wallace, and is profound. It’s not a quick listen (22 minutes long) but I think this would be worthwhile to listen to every few months or so. With the recent sudden deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the 7 other passengers in a tragic helicopter accident, remembering that what’s important in life is life itself…all of it’s annoyances, and perceived insults…the traffic jams, waiting in long lines in the store, slow drivers…all are part of the preciousness of life. And controlling your mind to remember this is critical. This is Water.
14. Found Time. These first few thoughts in this blog post are pretty mind-intensive. I hope I’ll have some lighthearted thoughts for you too, but we’ll see. Found Time is when your day was all planned out and you were wondering how you were going to make it all happen smoothly, and then…BAM…someone cancels out on you and all of a sudden you have more time than you planned on. It’s a real gift! The magical gift of time! I’ve come to appreciate these instances more and more as time goes on (again, pun intended.) I’ve gotten to where I can appreciate a delay too – maybe those few extra minutes I was held up kept me out of traffic at a crucial time when an accident was happening (you’ve had that too I expect, where you think to yourself, ‘wow, if I had been a few minutes earlier I would have been in the thick of that!’) All time is precious…found time…delays…all of it.
15. We need someone we can count on for a giggle. Usually a Peanuts cartoon will do that for me, but I don’t see them that often anymore. Nearly always a cat or dog compilation of mishaps on Facebook will do it. Or puppy videos. One humorist that always makes me giggle is Jeanne Robertson – she’s a true Southern lady and can spin a yarn better than most. I’ll put one of her videos here as an example; if you like her, you might want to subscribe to her channel so you can be notified whenever she releases a new one. Laughter remains the best medicine for the soul.
16. And now that I’ve shared a few YouTube videos with you, I have a confession to make. Our household is becoming YouTube addicts. I’ve used YouTube for very specific things in the past, like exercise videos, or how-to’s on how to do something. (Because in truth, I think you can find out how to do practically anything on YouTube, right?) Well, my husband, in his late-night television roaming, has broadened our horizons into new territories. I’ve found myself becoming fascinated with the art of shoe repair (For real! You should check out Trenton & Heath – they are amazing! Another favorite is Italian cook Pasquale because you can never get too much Italian cooking.) You can usually find someone to show you how to do just about anything on YouTube.
17. Seeing your parents when they were younger is a thrill. It’s easy to forget that our elders were once as young (and younger) than we. Young people don’t think they will get old, and as we get older we don’t think we’re ever really as old as we actually are. So it’s good to see photos of our parents as younger versions of themselves- I recently came across two that really spoke to me. I don’t know who took Daddy’s picture since he was usually the photographer; he took the one of Mother. I think I must get them framed. Young is beautiful, and old is beautiful.
18. Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? Before you ‘settled down and got serious’ about life? I do. I wanted to be a back-up dancer in the June Taylor Dancers, who danced on the Jackie Gleason show. Or I would have been happy as a ballerina, and even took a college introductory ballet class. It didn’t pan out, obviously, but maybe that’s the reason I enjoy dancing so much now. And watching ballroom dancing and figure skating competitions. There’s a way to vicariously enjoy what we once dreamed of – it’s up to us to find it.
19. The only thing certain is death and taxes….and change. Change happens every day, every year, and we must embrace it or go a bit nuts or become resentful or fearful. And that’s no way to live. If we look forward to change and be prepared to adapt with it, life is always fresh and new. Embrace the change.
20. “Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” Mary Oliver. Word.
Thanks for reading – stay stylish!
Adena
