Splendiferous Fall; Revealing the Beauty Within

The drama of changing seasons can hardly be ignored. Even those who are the busiest or most caught up in distractions or self-absorption take pause, however momentary. Life is transforming before our very eyes. Spring, Summer, and Winter each have plenty to offer, but Fall is the most magnificent. Leaves on hardwood trees make it so of course. When the countryside is dressed in red, green, gold, yellow and brown even the most ordinary places will become breathtaking. Or as my younger daughter, Courtney, said at age five, “It’s Splendiferous”

I've been around. My adolescence was spent near Fort Lauderdale in Hillsboro Beach where there is little that is overtly noticeable in Autumn's arrival or departure besides welcomed cooler temperatures. Instead, it's carried on a gentle evening breeze by Night Blooming Jasmine. I've also lived in North Carolina where people come from all over to be swept away by the grandeur. My childhood in Danville, Illinois had a Fall with its own charm and beauty. We took an annual drive down to Brown County, Indiana to have our socks blown off. But Autumn and "Injun Summer" were spectacular enough. Regardless of where home might have been, the seasons-of-life analogy was not lost on me. As the hours of light become shorter, chlorophyll production slows, and true leaf colors are revealed, it has always seemed obvious that God is sending a love letter about what could be coming next as people age.

The truth is that nothing diminishes as daylight hours become shorter nor are we diminished as we get older. This is evidenced in beautiful colors revealed in the leaves which had been there all along. Likewise, grace and brilliance are exposed as we transition to elderhood. They too have always been there. What is difficult to see while we are young and busy becomes easily visible in later years. Some of this comes from slowing down and some of it is bestowed as wisdom through experience. Now that my own Autumnal Equinox is well astern, floating out in Mother Ocean along with the exuberant energy of my youth, I began to wonder where the splendiferousness might be. But then it became clear. Just like my Autumn's in South Florida, it hides as a subtle insider while blossoming at the edge of night.

Elderhood; An (Almost) Full Embrace of Aging

Getting old. It sneaks up in the mirror revealing itself like adolescent acne of decades gone by. Misplaced little hairs, wrinkles and weird brown spots are suddenly reflected as an unfamiliar image stares back. A professional colleague of mine, Don Kuhl founder of The Change Companies, writes about Aging three times a week. After being greeted by the scary old man in the mirror, I went back to his blog for some perspective and humor. Then I posted a little photojournal on some of my FB groups which dealt with the inner grace and elegance that can reveal themselves as we age. Like a defiant Gray Panther, I raise a fist in solidarity with my sister and brother Baby Boomers.

I don't necessarily like the idea of being a senior citizen so I'm adopting the term elderhood to take its place. Childhood was fun, and elderhood seems to open up some promising possibilities. One pleasant discovery has been that time, so recently constricted to tight schedules, business demands, and accountability, is no longer such a critical measure. Instead of a day being broken down into minutes and hours of events and destinations, it reverts back into being a cumulative experience.

When I was a boy, and the adults would ask what all we had been doing on a long summer day. I remember responding with a muttered "Just goofing around". How could the adventures of baseball, finding tadpoles in the pond, building forts in the woods, fighting off savage invaders, and skinny dipping in the lake be conveyed to parents who thought we should be doing something productive? It's like that in elderhood too. Now its our grown children asking somewhat suspiciously what we did with ourselves all day. There is no way they could understand the joy of sleeping in late, savoring a hot cup of coffee like it was fine wine, sharing breakfast in bed, watching neighbors from the porch, napping during a Cubs game, and talking about dreams or days-gone-by as being valuably spent hours.

My wife, twelve year old dog Wrigley, and I get it. Even with the aches and pains, bottles of medication, and visions of strangers in the looking glass, we (almost) fully embrace the whole elderhood thing. Our hard won wisdom may be discounted by younger ones who should be seeking it. But we accept this with the firm understanding that someday in the not too distant future...they will get it too.