Today represents a “winter day” in the southwest. Heavy, gray, strata clouds hang low over the valley. Rain gently drops down and dampens the streets. The air feels calm and quiet. The forecast expects a high of 78 degrees F. Hmmm I don’t see that happening today although the current temperature reads 57 degrees at 11:00 am. Ashley, our old lady cat, naps directly in front of our space heater looking very content.
This kind of day encourages reflection. Lately Derrille and I have tried to replace several items. The stores no longer carry what we consider simple things. I suppose I could check the antique stores. For years a visit to antique stores allowed me to view things currently in use in my home, or things I recognized from my mom’s house. The older we get, the more you see “your house” shown as an antique.
I’ve never minded aging. Each decade presents interesting times and insight. I do miss my size 10 body and the wardrobe possibilities it provided, but that’s just a memory now. As time accumulates and technology advances products change. We have searched for the following items in the last month or so.
When the cold weather hit, Derrille needed a warm pair of sweat pants for walking. He wanted the gathered waist, sturdy fleece, and elastic around the ankles…you know, like he wore in high school (50+ years ago) and over the years since then. Most sweatpants today are styled with straight legged and designed for “lookin’ good” in case you want to stop by Starbucks for a latte. We searched throughout the store until we found a pair made by Russell that fits his needs. The search gets continually more difficult.
I want to replace my swim cover-up. The same problem exists. The designers display some darling things to cover one’s swimsuit. However, darling usually doesn’t include longer sleeves, zip front, a hood and longer lengths. When swimming outside in November, December, and January, the trip from the pool to the RV needs something with a little warmth. The wind created by riding a bike to the pool just doesn’t warrant “darling”. I may just make me one now that I own a sewing machine again.
My digital timer gave up the ghost recently. No problem…..whip down to the store and replace it. Wrong! Five to seven dollars seemed like a good price range. Grocery stores and drug stores no longer stock these. At Bed, Bath, and Beyond, one style retailed at $10 and another at $20. Neither one fit my needs. Apparently a simple digital timer resides in the past. Maybe I can find it in the antique store.
A great shock for me happened at Christmas. Last year I wrapped saran wrap over my shiny Christmas ornaments to keep off the dust that might creep into the storage tub. Little did I know that saran wrap not only kept the dust off, but it took the color right off the ornaments. My shiny red balls now include streaks of bright silver. Oh well….go out and replace them. Wrong! For years shiny red (blue, gold, silver, green, pink, etc.) ornaments came boxed by the dozen and could be purchased anywhere with a holiday display. Usually the display included a variety of sizes. Not so anymore. Today that dozen includes a variety of colors. The monochromatic boxes may display “red”, but they include shiny red, satin red, matte finish, solid balls and crinkled balls. We searched everywhere and could not find a dozen shiny red balls in a singular box.
My grand-niece married on 12-1-12. Her wedding photographs came on line recently and she sent me the link. The Multiple Chemical Sensitivity that keeps me from airplanes, hotels, churches, enclosed gathering of people etc., also kept me home, rather than flying to the family celebration in Washington. I really wanted to go, but the thought of being ill for a week or better made the decision for me. Yea to technology for enabling people like me to view all the wedding proofs and get a sense of the event!
The insight to aging came with the photos. It occurred to me that the current wedding scene ideas reside beyond my bank of knowledge. When the plans were shared, they struck me as unique, a bit odd, and beyond my imagination. We haven’t attended a wedding in a long time, and I am obviously “out of the wedding loop”. What the photos showed was a creative, elegant, beautifully planned and executed wedding! Joy on the faces of the wedding party and guests jumped out of the photos. What a great wedding! I wish the happy couple a lifetime of love and happiness.
I’ll leave this today with a couple of thoughts:
It’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years.
Each day comes bearing its own gifts,
Untie the ribbons.
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