Image Credit: Unsplash- Pedro Kümmel
The human life cycle is constantly at work. From the initial moments of breathing outside of the womb to the moment we take our last breath, we evolve. We are works in progress. The pace may not stay consistent; sometimes in our lives, we may grow at the speed of light, while other times, we may creep along like slugs. Then, there are the in-between spaces. The beauty of it is that no person evolves the same, and that is okay.
We all experience seasons of life – the ups, the downs, the fast, the slow. Relishing in those times is what proves to be difficult. The fast lives we live seem to be spinning out of control. Staying busy is the norm. Remember COVID, when the pandemic forced us to slow down? Speaking from my own experiences, those first few weeks, maybe even months if I am being honest, were a struggle. I didn’t know how to slow down. It was uncomfortable. I felt out of my element. These sentiments were voiced by many. Some refer to it as a wake-up call. What a whirlwind of adaptation! Filled planners to more downtime than most had experienced in their lifetimes was dizzying. We learned a new way of life. We had to.
The teaching profession, for example, went from face-to-face interactions to learning via virtual applications where teachers instructed students on a screen. Loss of human connection was real, and its lasting effects are still present. Overcoming that societal change has been a wild ride. Again, works in progress. As Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden, “Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases, he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail. . . Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary, eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.” We were forced to simplify our lives.
Pandemics aren’t predictable, but aging is. I am now in my fifties. I have endured decades of aging and changes. I have wrinkles, sun spots, a sagging body landscape, and forgetfulness. My teen years didn’t include these, I assure you. When I look back at those high school photos I have stored away in totes and boxes, I see a much different person. I laugh at the thought of thinking I was overweight in my cheerleading skirt. I’d give money to look like that in comparison to my current menopausal body. That cheerleader didn’t know what hot flashes would do to her later in life! I am still trudging through those, as a work in progress.
Additionally, I understand the human life cycle will bring me more experiences like the deterioration of my parents, watching my granddaughters grow, and thinking about retirement for myself. I am unable to avoid it. Truthfully, it beats the alternative, so I can’t complain much. Instead, I will embrace it with as much hope and understanding as I can. The progress is welcomed, even at this stage of life. I can see glimmers, beauty in its purest form, and revel in the days I have, working toward improvement and happiness. I love being a work in progress. I want you to do the same.
This was written by our contributing writer, Nina Graue.
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