Nature Book Club 

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

Mary Ann

Every three or four books that I read; I usually select a nature book.  I love nature.  That love comes from my father who was a biology teacher.  It was a gift that he gave to my brother and me.  We were full of curiosity as children, and our father would cheer us on with stories and interesting facts about a butterfly or a fish or whatever we would find.    

People who love nature are born that way.  Harvard professor Howard Gardner’s Theory on Multiple Intelligence determined humans have a propensity to have one or more of basic intelligences or Smarts that include Word, Picture, Body, Music, People, Self, Logic and Nature.  People who are Nature Smart enjoy rocks, plants, and animals; hear and see links in nature; and like to spend time outdoors.  That was my father, my brother, and me – we were all Nature Smart!

Many of my neighbors and friends are also Nature Smart.  We call each other when we spot a fox or see a Monarch Butterfly in our yards. I have written about this in other blogs.  I guess it was only natural that birds of a feather would flock together, and inevitably we would decide to start a nature book club so we could talk about the things we love.

So, a few of us met a year ago in August to set up the perimeters of the club and determine the books that we were going to read.  There were five of us to start, and we slowly added three more people.  I looked online for information on how to start a club and things to consider.  Cynthia was very helpful in sharing her experiences with book clubs.  She has been a member of several over the years. 

At first, we tried to meet at a nature center, and then we tried bookstores.  There were several restrictions at those locations, and you could not have refreshments – NO wine!  The venue then changed to our neighborhood homes.  We decided to meet the last Wednesday of the month from 7 to 9 pm.  Members would host meetings providing space, refreshments, and questions for the monthly book selection. There are many Internet resources to find questions so that really is not hard to do.   We would meet September through November with December off for the holidays, and regroup in January with meetings in February, March, April, and May.   June and July would be off for vacations and summer fun, and we would meet again in August to select books for the coming year.  The August meeting would be a covered dish or a dinner at a local restaurant.

The book selections were relatively easy.  We were open to all possibilities.  Everyone wanted to read Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles so that was our first book selection.  We followed with Voices in the Ocean by Susan Casey about dolphins.  There were a few challenging parts that were not for the faint of heart.  Life is hard for dolphins – it was not a Flipper adventure.  In November we read The Secret Life of Nature by Peter Wohlleben who has written several books about trees.  Fun Fact – trees know their own baby trees.  There is a lot going on in the ground under a tree.   We started again in January with The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl that followed the author’s observation of plants and animals in her backyard.  We then read Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservations that Starts in Your Own Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy that gives several suggests helping humans harmoniously live with nature.  The March reading was Eager by Ben Goldfarb about beavers.  They are furry little heroes for the environment.  What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman followed in April, and it was a fascinating book about these mysterious birds.  World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil.  (Poor Aimee had to learn to spell that long name when she started school – oh, my!).  This Barnes and Noble book of the year is a collection of essays about interesting plant and animal facts – whale sharks, fireflies or narwhals!  And so, our first-year ends.

With all book clubs, there is a very big social element to them. Conversations can be all over the place.  We hysterically laughed one evening after reading Nature’s Best Hope.  We have a very strict HOA where most of us live, and they probably would object to us planting certain things to sustain the environment.  We decided to organize a group of guerrilla gardeners, and in the dead of night we would gather to plant milkweed throughout the complex to support monarch migration. However, if little patches of milkweed start sprouting up, we know nothing about it….

 Just remember that attendance will not be perfect each month.  People are busy with life. Find your people, those Nature Smart ones, and start your own club.  We have given you an outline how to organize and a list of books to begin.  Enjoy the camaraderie, learn about your environment, and appreciate being green.  You know it is not easy being green! 

Benjamin Bunny

by sssmahh303, posted in Friends and Family

Mary Ann

It was love at first sight.  There he was sitting on the top shelf of the toy store display case.  My children were young as we vacationed in Petaluma, CA.  They were busy checking out at all the other toys, and I made a beeline to the gray rabbit puppet.   It was a German Steiff arm puppet with a little brass button tag on its ear. When I put the puppet on my hand, he came alive as all puppets do when you play with them.  It is magical when they become real.  

Then I looked at the price tag – $35 which was a hefty price in the 70s.   After some debate, the bunny was on the way home with me.  He was just too cute to leave behind, and as a teacher, I could use the rabbit with my work with children.  I named him Benjamin Bunny after the Beatrix Potter’s character.  I didn’t realize at the time how much that bunny puppet would mean to my life.

I fell in love with puppets after taking a weekend workshop about making puppets and writing puppet shows.  I ended up giving my own puppetry workshops, The Magic of Puppetry, to children and fellow teachers.  Puppets were a good vehicle to get the creative juices going.  However, it was always a wonder watching children truly believe that puppets were alive.  As the puppeteer, children could see that you were moving the puppet and talking for it, yet it made no difference.  The children believed and that is where the magic is.

Benjamin was always a star at the presentations, but he did not come into his own until I became a principal.  Since I oversaw very young children, I would visit the classes to read books, and Benjamin would join me.  Benjamin was a very shy bunny, so it would take him a minute or two to warm up when he gave a timid wave to the children.  Now, Benjamin ‘s mouth did not move so he would whisper in my ear what he wanted to say.  At the end of my visit, Benjamin would hug each of the children.  Little ones would love that special hug.   Occasionally, a child would not hug him – he or she was also timid.  However, as the year progressed, the child would become braver and finally hug Benjamin.  Over the years, all the children in the school knew Benjamin from his visits to their early childhood classrooms.  Benjamin became a bit of a celebrity.  He had been hugged by hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of children.  So much love!

When I moved to NYC, Benjamin came with me and visited our youngest children for book readings as well. He had a following and was a star in the Big Apple.   Again, those visits ended with hugs from adoring children.  Benjamin was dearly loved for 25 years and has now retired with me.  We did do a ZOOM visit during the Covid Pandemic, and Benjamin showed the children how to wear a face mask, and he “told” them to listen to their parents and teachers so they would be safe. 

In retirement now, Benjamin sits on a shelf in my office.  I look at him every day and he makes my heart smile.  Benjamin Bunny represents my life’s work with children and the happiness of doing that.  I have decided that I will have him cremated with me when the time comes for me to say goodbye.  No one else would ever know who Benjamin was and what he meant to me.  The little bunny epitomizes children’s love, and I want to take that love with me.  

Journaling As Treasure

by sssmahh303, posted in Uncategorized

Mary Ann

When you write in your journal, it is a safe place to share your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and emotions – the good, the bad, and the ugly!  It is like putting gold into a treasure chest.  The treasure is valuable and precious to you.  What is written is for you alone.  It is your treasure. 

I have kept journals for most of my adult life.  It is mostly in fits and spurts.  When I am traveling, I document the journey, and I love rereading them reliving my adventures.  I have written them during challenging times of my life.  Journaling was cathartic and was a type of self-therapy healing an injured soul.  In a way, it saved me.  

When I went to work in New York City, I recorded my daily life.  It was a unique experience that was a gift in the last stages of my career.  I have a box full of journals to reread that chronicled those special years. Sweet memories!

I do keep a dream journal and record dreams that I can remember.  The dreams are usually distinctive and often have a message in them.  I can see patterns in my life.  This is not done daily, only when I recall the missive.  Often the dreams are freeing from redundant patterns in my life, my choices.

I am a nature journalist.  I write and draw the entries of plants and animals I observe.  It is one of my favorite activities, and it gives me the gift of peace.  This past Christmas, I was given a nature journal by Margaret Renkl, author of The Comfort of Crows.  It is a weekly diary of what you see in your own backyard.  It imitates Renkl’s Crows which is stories of her backyard observations.   So far, it has been snow, snow, snow.  Not much action.

Journaling is something that I do enjoy, but I have a dilemma regarding it.  What do you do with them after you written them, especially if they are highly emotional, and your treasure is exposed?  The nature journals or the travel journals are nice to keep.  They are not soul baring for the most part.  However, the ones from my divorce were deep–water treasure, a portal to a damaged heart and soul.  I didn’t want my children to know some things about their father or did I want them to know what I wrote about them or how hard it was financially.  I tried to protect them, and what good would it really do if they knew?  I think it is best to reread them and then shred them.  You see how you grew from the lessons your learned. It is freeing to put the experiences in the past, and you are lighter letting go to have a soul at peace. 

Revisiting the Estate

by Cynthia, posted in Taking Care of Business

I have always thought of an estate as a grand residence and wealth held by a person or family over time. When I bought my home soon after a divorce, I named it The Queendom – a woman’s home is her castle, you know. Other than the home I worked for years to pay off, along with the furniture, and other personal belongings, and the car, I do not have much. Interestingly however, what little I own is my estate.

Several months ago my 94-year-old aunt was angry at her daughter when my cousin suggested she needed to start downsizing. She needed to designate the things she would like to give to children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other family. She had made no plans for her estate upon her passing. Admittedly, I was somewhat surprised. I guess she thought she would live forever.

My mother, gratefully, had all her documents in place. She had designated me as power of attorney, she had a will drawn up, and I held with her the title of her home and bank accounts. My sister was listed as beneficiary of a life insurance policy. She had an advanced directive. All these documents were in place when she had a stroke, and I had to move her in with me. Immediately, I was able to help her take care of health challenges and finances. She had given me a wonderful gift.

Attorney discussing legal documents with client in office

I granted my daughter power of attorney several years ago and signed an advanced directive while I was caring for my mother. But my attorney had suggested that since I have only one daughter, everything goes to her automatically (in my state), so I did not need to waste money on a will. For a while that sufficed. Yet as I navigate these seventies, I realized I want to make things easier for my daughter, and I want to leave something for my two grandchildren.

An estate attorney and I now have the ball rolling. The fee, which is quite reasonable, gives me a peace of mind that is well-worth the time and effort. Of course there is more to planning for a disabling medical condition or passing away. I have a small document that tells her my current financial status, where to find things, and who to contact and how to contact friends and family. All these instructions and legal documents are scanned to a flash drive and printed in a notebook for my family’s use.

The documents will need to be updated periodically, but having the baseline set is a purposeful message for the next generations. Hopefully, it will make an emotional time just a bit easier.

Just as “death cleaning” (which Mary Ann wrote about earlier in our blog life) is a gift to one’s children, so is estate planning. Laws and practices vary from state to state, so it is important to consult experts where you live. But be kind to those who may have to deal with things once you need help or when you are no longer with us. Take time to document your wishes. They will love you even more for it.

This Book Made Me Think of You

by Cynthia, posted in Reviews

It’s been a while since I read a book that I could not wait to read. This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page is one of those books.  If it were a movie – and I hope it becomes one – it would be in the “chic flick” genre.  It is a “feel good” book about love, loss, resilience, and adventure.

The book appears on several of the book list feeds I receive weekly. It sounded like something my sister might enjoy, so when perusing Square Books, a small, local book store during a visit in Oxford, Mississippi, I ran across this one, I suggested she try it.  I picked up a copy, also, as we live in different states. Frankly, I needed something easy-to-read that would be entertaining and positive.

The story tells about a woman who fell deeply in love with a man, only to learn a few months after their marriage that he was dying from cancer. Previously, she was a voracious reader and an energetic, creative woman. Throughout his treatments and after his passing, she became a shell of herself.  Then, on her birthday she received a seemingly random phone call from a local book shop keeper.

That call changed the trajectory of her life going forward. She embarked on adventures she never would have imagined taking. She met people who supported her along the way. She tried new things and stepped out of her comfort zone. I wondered as I read each section whether I would be brave enough to try some of the things she did.

At the beginning of each section, the “book seller” lists four books that are indicative of the section’s theme, so to speak.  Several of the books listed I have read and others I recognize as books I want to read. Those lists provided an added bonus, in my humble opinion.

In fact, my sister and I both exclaimed reading this book inspired us!  Without giving away too much, my sister has selected this book for her May book club. She is including an activity by purchasing a set of books (all different), wrapping each of them in brown paper and tying a colorful ribbon around the package. She will offer each of her book club members to select a package. What a fun and creative idea!

As for me, I am stepping outside of my comfort zone to visit a few places on my own. I will start with some museums that I haven’t seen for a while, perusing the collections without worrying how a companion might be enjoying the time spent.

This is one book I may read again, which I rarely do. The missive reminds us that grief has its place yet the living must continue not only to live but to thrive. Are you in need of a light-hearted book to take to the beach? Would you like just a little inspiration? This Book Made Me Think of You may be just the jolt you need to cheer you up and to give you a renewed outlook on life.

New York, New York – Part 5

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

New York City Shops 

Mary Ann 

Ask anyone in New York, what is the best city in the world?  They will all tell you, New York City, of course!  It may be your favorite city too.  Despite the crowding, dirty streets, foul smells, and the like, it remains a beloved place for people from all over the world.  It is the seat of entertainment, finance, art, and on and on.  Those of us who got the chance to live or work there know how special a city it is.  Yet, below what you first see, there is a bustling city of matchless wonders.

New York City is full of unique people; however, it is equally full of unique shops.  When exploring the city, these charming places make an adventure unfolding around every corner. During my time in New York City, I enjoyed discovering many of the city’s best kept secrets.  We all know Macy’s or Bloomingdales – where tourist roam!  People seldom unearth the treasures of the one-of-a kind shops that populate New York. 

The island of Manhattan has various districts for garments, flowers, furniture, jewelry, diamonds, etc.  Nestled in among the warehouses, you can often find shops that sell wholesale items to the public.  I can remember once going into a costume jewelry store, and I thought I had gone to earring heaven. Row upon row of very pretty, very inexpensive earrings greeted me as I entered.  

In this blog, I want to share with you some of the distinctive places I found, and the best place to start is with sweets.  Birthdays at my school were always a little over the top with treats for fellow classmates and teachers.  As principal, I was included as well – lucky me!  There were delicious cupcakes and whoopie pies and giant cookies.  Some of the best treats came from world-famous Magnolia’s on Bleeker Street. The cupcakes were exceptional; however, the banana pudding is out-of-this-world.  Magnolia does ship their baked goods, but the banana pudding recipe can be found online.  I have made it, and the pudding is very close to the original.  Another favorite of mine is Baked by Melissa.  This bakery has a few shops throughout the city. The cupcakes are quarter-sized morsels of pure delight.  They have hundreds of flavors that they change in and out.  You can stop by and pick up a few to nibble as you walk down the street.   Melissa also ships their mini cupcakes all over, and they offer lovely holiday assortments.  They have a cute 3-pack that are nice to give as memorable favors. 

Occasionally, a new yummy would hit the market. When the summer of cronuts premiered in the city, the lines wound around the block. They were a combo of a donut and a croissant and were coveted.   You were crestfallen when you finally got to the front of the line only to find out they were out. Tears prevailed and sometimes colorful screaming!   

Then we have the candy shops.  Time Square has its Hersey and Reese’s shops, but they do not compare to the riches of the specialty chocolate shops that pepper the city.   Jacques Torres is probably one of the most famous.  The chocolate is good, and they will add red peppers or some other exotic ingredient to the chocolate to give it a tasty little kick.  The chocolate comes in all shapes and sizes.  I do love their very rich hot chocolate that comes in a variety of flavors – great on a cold NYC day.  My favorite chocolate shop is Li-Lac’s, the oldest chocolate house in Manhattan founded in 1923 – there are several locations.  It has the creamiest chocolate – once you start eating it, you can’t stop. They ship as well. 

 Another favorite candy store was Sockerbit featuring gummies, licorice, and chocolates.  It was a stop and mix store, so you paid by weight of your mixed bag.  Unfortunately, it closed, but Bon Bon and Lil Sweet Treat have opened in the West Village offering the same candies. What I noticed as I was checking out the shops, the locations may have changed or there is a new name for the same products. I think Covid changed the market in many cases.

One-item shops prospers in New York City.  It would be hard for such shops to make it somewhere else.  It take several million people to make it happen.  However, it makes the shops memorable due to their uniqueness.  There is a rice pudding store, Rice to Riches, where a variety of favors and toppings are offered.  I found a shop that only sells salt with some chocolates, flowers and bitters called Meadows.   The Parisian Laduree has a shop in NYC with their famous macrons – there are other macron only shops as well.  How about a shop that only sells tassels and trims?  Or a shop that sells mostly trays.  Then there is a shop that sells just belts.  The possibilities are almost endless.  There is a lot of turnovers, yet some old timers remain. 

There are bookstores that only sell one type of book – cookbooks, mysteries, or children’s books.  Wonderful selections to explore. Barnes and Noble bookstore has several stores with huge inventories. New Yorkers are readers.  The best of all is The Strand – a landmark bookstore near Union Square.  All kinds of books, old and new, are available.    It is a fun place to while away a few hours.

I could go on and on. Yet, I haven’t even talked about the restaurants or the many exclusive services.  I will save that for the next New York, New York blog, and we can visit them together. 

Gifts

by Cynthia, posted in Friends and Family

What constitutes a gift? I guess I have never really thought about it.  I love giving people items I think they would enjoy. I enjoy doing things for others. Some would say my gifting is my Love Language. Lately, I have begun to rethink gifting.

My grands, nieces, and nephews, are all adults now in their twenties and thirties and some even older. Most of them have good jobs and are independent. They can purchase the things they want or need.  I find it challenging to select something they will want, appreciate, and use.  Anymore, when I ask them they reply “you don’t need to get me anything.”  While that is very sweet, they fail to understand that it makes me happy to give them something on their birthdays or other special occasions.

My granddaughter will turn 25 this month. I appreciate that she tells me what she would like – much of the time.  This year she told me – “money.”  She has recently moved out of her parents’ home, so money is tighter than before. She is learning that adulting is hard.  My sweet little girl no longer wants pink and frilly things. She wants to build up her savings account, so she won’t worry about having enough to pay her bills.  I appreciate her resolve.

Gucci credit cards, $100 bill stacks, gold coins, and Tiffany & Co. checks on white satin.

I have resorted to gift cards for non-gift-giving holidays. Target gift cards for St. Patrick’s Day, grocery store gift cards for Easter, gasoline gift cards for Independence Day, etc.  Basically, things that help with day-to-day expenses.

Money just doesn’t seem like a very good gift. I need to rethink my position on gift giving. As I recall, my maternal grandmother always sent me a check for $5 with a greeting card signed Maureen. In fact, it wasn’t until later years that she started signing cards Grandmother Maureen. I loved her dearly and held her in the highest regard, even though it was hard for her to be a grandmother. She was more of a mentor to me. We got along wonderfully (opposed to most of my cousins!). Thinking about the cards and the checks, I suppose I enjoyed getting money from my grandmother. Mostly I appreciated that she thought about me on my birthday.

I sent checks to my nieces for a while, but it seems they would not cash the checks. I found that odd since it is easy to deposit a check with one’s smart phone – I’ve done it for years, so I imagined the younger people have done it longer. Each year I would ask them if they got the check because I noted it had not cleared my account.  Now, they get Amazon e-gift cards. Interestingly, they apparently appreciate those more than cash. (We truly are becoming a cashless society, are we not?).

All-in-all, I suppose giving a gift rests more in intent than in substance. So I will go to the ATM, or write checks, or send e-gift cards. Easy for me; beneficial for the recipients.  After all, it is the thought that counts!

Down 7, Up 8

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

A few months ago, I found this Japanese proverb – Down 7, Up 8, and I thought it summed up what life is all about.  My mother always said, “Life is Hard, “and indeed she was right.  Life in one way or another is always knocking you down, and you learn early on that you must get yourself back up.  Look at a toddler.  They fall down all the time, and they for the most part (even after tears) bounce back up.  

We must be resilient to survive.  Ask any cave man!  Our downs in life are not saber tooth tigers, but they can be just as dangerous.  There are many losses in life.  Divorce or any breakup with a friend or lover can be overwhelming.  Chronic illnesses or a death of a love one can tragically break your heart.  Watching your children suffer in any way is like having the same suffering yourself.  The loss of a job or a financial crisis can be devastating. There are always challenges in life, and we must accept and adapt to them.  We must be resilience.

Resilience is defined as the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or return to pre-crisis status quickly.  I have been down and out many times in my life for one reason or another, and I am sure you have been there as well.  Sometimes it was very hard to get back up, but really there was no other choice but just do it!   You must adapt to handle the situation, and hopefully, the challenges will help you grow stronger, so you are ready for whatever is next. 

I strongly believe that most problems have a solution if we put the time and energy into solving them. That is resilience in action.  Look how resilience the natural world is.  Nature is always teaching us lessons to live by.  After devastating wildfires, tiny green shoots fight their way through the ashes to survive. We need to fight our way upwards again as well.

For thousands of years, humans have been falling down and getting back up.  I guess it is part of the human condition, and we humans have documented it with the written word in proverbs, sayings, and quotes.  The ancient Japanese culture captured the essence of resilience in just a few words. – down and up.  In ending, there is another quote that I also thinks captures the meaning of resilience – If you are going through hell, keep going.  I can identify with that.  I am sure you can too. 

A Taxing Time

by Cynthia, posted in Taking Care of Business, Uncategorized

I never worried much about paying taxes when I was working – the payroll department took care of the deductions from my salary before I saw the net. Now that I am retired, I find that my social security income puts me into a “next” tax bracket, thus requiring me to pay quarterly taxes. Still, the time has come to “pony up” as they say, and I still have to write a check to Uncle Sam. Even with the working senior tax break, it seems I don’t qualify.  Interestingly, I make less than when I was working, but seem to pay higher taxes. It’s frustrating.

Contributing to a tax system is often viewed as a burden, but it can be reframed as a profound expression of social membership and a “subscription fee” for a functional civilization. When we pay taxes, we are essentially investing in the collective stability and infrastructure that allow individual success to flourish in the first place. From the roads that connect our commerce to the legal systems that protect our property and rights, taxes represent our shared stake in a society that is larger and more resilient than any one person could maintain alone.

Stressed person reviewing tax forms and receipts using a calculator at a kitchen table.

Furthermore, the ability to pay taxes is often a direct reflection of personal economic agency and the privilege of opportunity. In a well-structured society, the obligation to contribute typically rises with one’s level of financial security, meaning that a tax bill is frequently a byproduct of having accessed a thriving market, a quality education, or a safe environment. Recognizing this link transforms the act of filing from a chore into an acknowledgment of the structural advantages—such as public safety, research and development, and stable governance—that provided the ladder for one’s own achievements.

Ultimately, taxes serve as the primary mechanism for fostering the “common good” and ensuring a baseline of dignity for all citizens. They fund the schools that educate the next generation, the parks that provide communal beauty, and the social safety nets that catch the vulnerable during times of crisis. To pay into this system is to participate in a silent, cross-generational pact: we benefit from the investments made by those who came before us, and in turn, our contributions build the foundation for those who will follow. In this light, paying taxes is less about what is being taken away and more about what we are choosing to build together.

We all like to grumble periodically about the voluntary taxes we pay. (Voluntary has always seemed a misnomer to me – but that is for another time). Admittedly, when I drive from state-to-state, or see our military men and women, or visit a National Park, my heart swells with pride.  I am proud to be an American – a Native American, at that. So I am grateful for the opportunity to pay my fair share to support the greater good.

Aging

by sssmahh303, posted in Reviews

Mary Ann

When I was in 9th grade, we read Shakespeare’s As You Like It.  We had to recite the famous speech, All the World’s A Stage, in front of the class.  It was a piece that took an individual through the various stages of life comparing it to a play.  For the most part, I didn’t get it.  If you hadn’t lived a particular stage, you couldn’t identify with it.  And what in the world did sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything mean? 

Well, as one ages, the various stages begin to make sense, and now, that I am in the final stage of the speech, I know what sans, French for without, means and indeed it is true. I always thought that there should be a T-shirt that says, “Aging is Not for Sissies.”  You must be tough to grow old.  There is a challenge around every corner, a surprise just awaiting you.

Aging is full of aches and pains.  You discover body parts you didn’t know existed.  You develop health conditions like hypertension, cholesterol, or diabetes. Your body does not want to do what your head tells it to do.  You can’t open the peanut butter jar.  It is hard to go up the steps or getting out of a chair.  You can’t see as well as when you were young.  You can’t hear either, so you say what a lot. You forget names, and words just sit on the tip of your tongue. There are lots of thingmajigs or whatchacallits in your vocabulary now.  You have many senior moments.  The list could go on and on, and it keeps growing with the passing years.  Mark Nepo has said, “The terrain of aging is steeper the longer we go.”  Amen!  

As challenging as aging is, there are many good things that can only be acquired with growing older.  There are lessons to be learned with the passage of time.  With aging you gain wisdom and experience.  Life is always teaching you a lesson.  You gain understanding and patience from those lessons.  You grow to appreciate stillness and the peace that it brings.  You begin to understand that taking the time to smell the roses is what life is all about.  You embrace the life you have and live acceptance.  You discover your inner light and let it shine.

We know that change is inevitable.  It is one thing that you can count on.  Yet, it is still hard to embrace as you grow older. The changing is getting us ready for the final journey whatever it will be.  Again, I quote poet Mark Nepo whose beautiful words explains the coming adventure.  “It’s as if my body is a nest and my soul is a bird who has waited a lifetime for the moment it can fly away.”  Aging prepares us for that final flight.

I wrote this essay for the journaling group that I recently joined.  The topic was aging, and I based some of it on the work of Mark Nepo.  He is a poet and spiritual writer who I just discovered.  His prose is lyrical and so deep that you pause after many of his sentences to ponder the wisdom that Nepo imparts.  His most recent work is The Fifth Season, Creativity in the Second Half of Life.  Nepo is now in his seventies, and this book echoes his many years of a reflective life.  My friend Lisa and I read the book as part of our nonfiction book club.  After the first section, we decided to do a slow read of this book.  Each section has four or five chapters that each end with a journal prompt and a discussion question about the reading.  This was a great jumping off point for Lisa and me to discuss the reading. We decided to read one section a week and then take a second week to reflect on what we read.  That is how rich the readings were.  I took notes throughout the various sections, and we reviewed our thoughts when we finished the book.  I don’t believe I have ever put that much energy into reading a book.  However, it was worth every minute.  Since both Nepo and I are in our fifth season, I could recognize myself throughout the book.  We are all traveling on the same path but in our own unique way.  I am thankful I got to join him on his. 

Lisa and I would highly recommend this book, but it is not a quick read even though the book is only 200 pages.   You need to take your time and digest Nepo’s beautiful words.  It is nourishment for the soul. It is a book to return to again and again gaining insights into one’s inner life.  I am also reading Nepo’s bestselling book, The Book of Awakening, that is a year’s worth of daily readings.  He wrote it 20 years ago, and it is still very relevant.  Many people read it year after year.  I think I will too.  Each day is ended with mediations to reflect upon the wise words Nepo shares.  If you would like to hear more about Mark Nepo and his books listen to Mel Robbins’ Podcast from November 16, 2025 – The Exact Words You Need to Hear Today If It Feels like Nothing’s Working.  Mel is a big fan of Mark.  I hope that you will join his fan club along with me!