Oh My is it Really Friday Already?

Today, fill your cup of life with sunshine and laughter.

Dodinsky

Time sure does fly when you're having fun.  I had an especially great, and busy, time yesterday.  It began with 'Stay Well Exercises', a bit of everything combined--yoga, aerobics, stretching.  We ended the class by exercising the muscles in our eyes--look up to the left, look forward, look up to the right, look forward, look down to the left, look forward, etc. I had no idea how hard that would be.  The instructor advised us that this is because we don't use those muscles often. 

Next class was meditation.  It began as a discussion the power of the mind and how important it is for us seniors to stay busy so as not to fall into a rut which can lead to depression.  We discussed the importance of staying active after retirement.  We then discussed the various physical ailments that will keep us from living a full life...if we allow them to.  She then put on a tape of ocean waves beating against the shoreline and had us close our eyes and focus on the ocean waters flushing out those very ailments that hold us down.

After lunch was the 'End of Summer Gala' during which we were treated to a show by a professional hula dancer.  Sorry the picture isn't better.  When she was in my area, I was trying to get the darn flash off on the camera and missed the shot.  From my studies of Huna, I learned that each movement tells a story.  Hula is something I'd always wanted to learn but, from the time of my youth, I've had hips that don't want to move.

Afterwards there was old music and dancing.  I tried my hand at the twist and jitterbug.  Thought I'd be feeling it this morning, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I will admit that I did get a bit melancholy listening to some of those old songs, and on more than one occasion, felt tears welling in my eyes.  Memories began to flood in...especially when they played "Rock Around the Clock".  I won a dance contest with that song, my first and only one.  I remembered the boy I danced with and began to wonder whatever happened to him.  Oh, why does this always happen to me?  Why can't I remember without feeling sad?

It's very hard to explain.  I am happy where I am at today.  I have accepted this season of my life, and I truly feel fulfilled. I am living life today in a way I haven't lived in years.  Yet, when I heard those songs I began to mourn my lost youth.  Not that I'd want to relive it.  Not in the least. My youth was a painful time for me, and there is no way I want to go through that again.  Perhaps what I am really missing is something that I never had in my youth....the opportunity to live as a normal teenager and experience all the ups and downs that go along with those years.

Thanks for listening today.  May your weekend bring you joy, love, and peace.

Look not sorrowfully into the past; it comes not back again. Wisely improvethe present; it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future
without fear, and with a sturdy heart.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow