thanks for the memories

Thursday, September 13, 2012

It's all a matter of perspective

When you get to be my age your eyesight begins to change (along with every other function in your body) and not for the better.  My distance vision is still perfect but I get a lot of ribbing because my arms aren't long enough to hold the book out far enough for me to see it clearly.  I like to think of it as a different perspective not poor eyesight.  Sometimes there are things in life that force us to get up and change our perspective in order to be able to see clearly.
Take life in general.  My daughter works hard.  For awhile there she was not only taking online classes to further her education but she is holding down two part-time jobs, helping around here, taking responsibility for her own flock of chickens and pigs, as well as dealing with some persistent health issues.  That's a lot on the plate of a 22 year-old.  She does it all, however with a lot of energy, grace, and caring but as with everyone on this planet, her perspective gets off once in awhile.
We all do it, you know, becoming goal oriented and measuring yourself and your days by what you accomplished and how much you completed rather than by a more important measuring tool, how much you loved.  I do it a lot.  My husband will come home from work and I will immediately list what I accomplished that day.  Not that he measures my worth that way but because I feel as if I have not "earned my keep" on that particular day.  Perhaps Layn was cranky all day and so there is no supper ready and the laundry is still in process because I spent the better part of the day playing with him and rocking him.  It is then that my husband will remind me that it was one of my more productive days because I spent it loving another person who needed me so much.  
So it is with all of us, my daughter included, what is your perspective?  How do you measure your worth?  Yesterday I took her away from her lists and all that needed to be done at home, and believe me the list never ends.  We sat in a lovely garden and chatted and dreamed.  We ate ice cream and watched the geese and ducks on a pond and worked out just the right words to a new poem that she is writing.

We went into two stores and browsed knowing full well that we cannot afford to shop, just to look and be together.  We didn't even talk about anything earth shattering, just stuff, and it was good.

And when we got home and I told my husband what I had done that day he was pleased that I had spent the whole day loving someone who needed it so much.  What did my daughter accomplish yesterday?  She spent time with her mother who loves her and let me revel in the remarkable woman that she is becoming.  She also wrote an amazing poem.
That's our perspective, love for each other.  I hope my arms never get too short to see that clearly.

1 comment:

Peggy Wolf said...

Ann, this is so beautifully written, I'm crying. Sending loving hugs to your beautiful MK. About the fading closeup eyesight that comes with aging, I think it could be a good thing since we can no longer see our wrinkles so clearly.