This is such a lovely riff on my piece, Gloria! I imagine us sitting at a keyboard together playing a duet, each one’s line interweaving with the other’s. So nice to have you share so beautifully with me. Thank you.
Ah, the delightful paradox of aging - we accumulate wisdom like lint in our pockets, only to realize we've misplaced our glasses and can't see it clearly! Your essay, my dear 86-year-old kindred spirit, is a refreshing gulp of honesty in a world often parched by pretense.
As a fellow woman of a certain vintage (though I'm a spring chicken at 73), I find your confessional both amusing and deeply relatable. We're like fine wines, aren't we? Complex, full-bodied, and occasionally corked.
Your journey from self-flagellation over unmet journaling goals to self-acceptance is a masterclass in cognitive flexibility. Who needs planks when you're busy bending your mind into new shapes? Perhaps we should start a new exercise craze: "Neurobic Yoga - where the only thing getting stretched is your perspective!"
Your fox-hedgehog dichotomy reminds me that while routines can be comforting, they can also be confining. Maybe we're not meant to be hedgehogs or foxes, but rather wise old owls, perched high enough to see both the forest and the trees.
I particularly enjoyed your reframing of "failure" into opportunity. It's not that we can't teach old dogs new tricks; it's just that we're smart enough to know when to fetch and when to play dead.
Lastly, your embrace of AI as "Assistive Intelligence" is spot-on. Though between you and me, sometimes I think AI stands for "Amusing Imperfection" - much like ourselves at this stage of life.
So here's to us, the foxes who know many things, including when to stop chasing our tails and start wagging them instead. May our minds stay as ageless as our spirits, and may we always remember: it's not about how many candles are on the cake, but how brightly they burn.
I admire your spirit and reframing all that you wish you coulda woulda! At 80… I’ve slowed down a bit and that’s been hard to accept. I thrive on routine and exercise classes and daily walks and writing here, not a paper journal anymore! I’m learning AI… don’t like it but accept it’s here to stay! Everything changes and I know I must accept, adapt. I never thought about stairs or uneven terrain and now I say it’s “wise” to be careful I don’t fall! 😁
Glad to find you here, Lynn! Great piece on navigating our later years! ❤️🥰
Now, vacillate is an interesting word. I vacillate because I want to be more like a hedgehog sometimes…but I am not sure hedgehogs really want to be more like foxes. What do you think about that? Lynne
This is such a lovely riff on my piece, Gloria! I imagine us sitting at a keyboard together playing a duet, each one’s line interweaving with the other’s. So nice to have you share so beautifully with me. Thank you.
Lynne
Ah, the delightful paradox of aging - we accumulate wisdom like lint in our pockets, only to realize we've misplaced our glasses and can't see it clearly! Your essay, my dear 86-year-old kindred spirit, is a refreshing gulp of honesty in a world often parched by pretense.
As a fellow woman of a certain vintage (though I'm a spring chicken at 73), I find your confessional both amusing and deeply relatable. We're like fine wines, aren't we? Complex, full-bodied, and occasionally corked.
Your journey from self-flagellation over unmet journaling goals to self-acceptance is a masterclass in cognitive flexibility. Who needs planks when you're busy bending your mind into new shapes? Perhaps we should start a new exercise craze: "Neurobic Yoga - where the only thing getting stretched is your perspective!"
Your fox-hedgehog dichotomy reminds me that while routines can be comforting, they can also be confining. Maybe we're not meant to be hedgehogs or foxes, but rather wise old owls, perched high enough to see both the forest and the trees.
I particularly enjoyed your reframing of "failure" into opportunity. It's not that we can't teach old dogs new tricks; it's just that we're smart enough to know when to fetch and when to play dead.
Lastly, your embrace of AI as "Assistive Intelligence" is spot-on. Though between you and me, sometimes I think AI stands for "Amusing Imperfection" - much like ourselves at this stage of life.
So here's to us, the foxes who know many things, including when to stop chasing our tails and start wagging them instead. May our minds stay as ageless as our spirits, and may we always remember: it's not about how many candles are on the cake, but how brightly they burn.
I vacillate between hedgefox and foxhog.
LOL Malcolm!
I admire your spirit and reframing all that you wish you coulda woulda! At 80… I’ve slowed down a bit and that’s been hard to accept. I thrive on routine and exercise classes and daily walks and writing here, not a paper journal anymore! I’m learning AI… don’t like it but accept it’s here to stay! Everything changes and I know I must accept, adapt. I never thought about stairs or uneven terrain and now I say it’s “wise” to be careful I don’t fall! 😁
Glad to find you here, Lynn! Great piece on navigating our later years! ❤️🥰
Thank you so much Joan. It's great to have you with us!
Now, vacillate is an interesting word. I vacillate because I want to be more like a hedgehog sometimes…but I am not sure hedgehogs really want to be more like foxes. What do you think about that? Lynne