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A while ago, I received an email from a friend.  She said she woke up that morning to the sound of a lawn mower, which triggered an amazing thought for her: what did she want to do for a vacation this summer?  She listed three criteria: 1. Away from the city and crowds; 2. Scenic, so she could enjoy her camera; and 3. Able to breathe fresh air.

I say, “She done did it!” as attested by the amazing photo of a mountain and a lake she posted recently on Facebook

My friend is obviously going forward and not stagnating, as Elinor M. Greenberg, Ph.D., an expert on older women and aging cautions students who attend her workshops or read her many books.

My friend’s email reminded me of a phrase my dad used to say, “Blink, and summer is gone.”  Yep, I think time speeds up in the wonderful days of summer. Also, my friend’s email reminded me of my daydreams the last couple days of grade school.  I would dream of laying in the grass, going barefoot, running through the sprinkler, helping myself to a stalk of a neighbor’s rhubarb, playing kick-the-can, and gazing at the amazing stars at night.

So, if this is truly “A Time of Our Own,” as Dr. Greenberg and Fay Wadsworth Whitney write about, why am I worried about squeezing in a pickle ball clinic in my busy schedule? Seems to me I am just replicating the busy life I used to live before I retired.

There’s a huge sycamore tree in my backyard that is beckoning me to go lie under it and stare up at its amazing  large leaves and little sticky balls that dangle all over it.  I’m thinking about buying some popsicles and maybe my favorite frozen treat as a kid, fudgesicles, if they still make them.  Boy, I sure want to be at the Colorado National Monument Monday, August 21, the day of the total solar eclipse, and wouldn’t it be fun to meet my daughters and their children in Glenwood Springs and go to the caves.  The green peas in my garden are coming in.  I love to make risi and bisi, Italian rice and peas. Better yet, just eat them as I pick.  Boy, sipping a gin and tonic sounds wonderful while I sit on my porch glider and watch a gorgeous sunset on another wonderful day here is Western Colorado.

Then, a few strains from an old song by the Lovin’ Spoonful drift through my brain –

  • What a day for a daydream
  • What a day for a daydreamin’ boy
  • And I’m lost in a daydream
  • Dreamin’ ‘bout my bundle of joy
  • And even if time ain’t really on my side
  • It’s one of those days for takin’ a walk outside
  • I’m blowin’ the day to take a walk in the sun
  • And fall on my face on somebody’s new mowed lawn

What are you planning on doing before autumn leaves drift by your window?

 

Copyright – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, June 13, 2017

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