Another Look

Last fall, when I was still very new to blogging, I posted a poem that I had written for a poetry class I had taken several years ago. A friend of mine in California recently asked me if I would post it again on this blog -- I got shut out of my original blog as some of you may know. So, I found it again and here it is.

Perplexed

Some days I can find the beauty in growing old
Time to read, write, explore cyberspace.
Time to knit, try new recipes or fix old favorites.
Sleeping in, staying up late -- no schedules.

Time to read, write, and explore cyberspace,
Which in turn leads me to discover things now out of reach.
Sleeping in, staying up late -- yeah, no schedules.
It's suddenly far too easy to discover just what's wrong with that.

Which in turn leads me to discover things that I miss,
The excitement of meeting a deadline on a project, a night on the town.
It's suddenly not so easy to find what's wrong with that.
And looking forward to a night of dancing the tango, oh, the best!

The excitement of meeting a deadline on a project, a night on the town.
I miss that kind of "busy", the feeling that my life had a real purpose,
And looking forward to a night of dancing the tango -- still the best.
I am learning new things, doing new things, but it's not the same.

I miss that kind of "busy", the feeling that my life had a real purpose,
Not just time to knit or try new recipes or fix old favorites,
And I am learning new things, doing new things, but it's not the same.
Still, some days I can find the beauty in growing old.

I realized as I was typing this today that I don't even think about getting older any more and my life in many ways has become as exciting as it was before -- different but still exciting. I realized you never get too old to have someone, some thing take your breath away. You never get too old to wake with a sense of joy and an eagerness to take on the day, to discover something/someone that opens that door to all the beauty, the love, the joy that you might have thought had slipped out of your life forever. Life is and always will be exactly what you choose to make of it.

I'll take joy!

It's Here!

That new day, that promise, the hope, the joy -- it was not only in Washington DC, but all over this country and the world.

I think that anyone who watched the inauguration ceremonies today came away with a smile, with tears, with a sense of hope, and some sadness as well, when we learned of Senator Kennedy’s collapse at the luncheon following the inauguration. I know that we all wish him well.

My watching the inauguration had its frustrating moments and I had to rely on reruns. As some of you know we cancelled our TV service some time ago so I knew I would have to watch online and I did – until Obama spoke his first two sentences and the picture froze, no sound. So, I scared the dogs for awhile as I jumped up and down behaved in a very unladylike manner until the techie person arrived to set up my new computer. So, I’ve had to rely on reading and seeing re-runs.

But all of that didn’t take away from the joy, the excitement as this country realized what we have accomplished, what huge steps forward we have taken. The crowd of people there was amazing and gave voice once again to the hopes of so many in this country and the world.

It is a day that I will never forget.