A lesson in humility
by Elouise
Great Blue Heron by John James Audubon
Aging waterfowl
Gaze into moving mirrors
Searching for treasure
This morning I watched
As daylight faded quickly
Into today’s tasks
Life slips into dreams
Grown old before their time
Bowing to reality
Growing old is a lesson in humility. Not so much about who I am, but about what I can do in the space of one day. Upkeep is a harsh taskmaster. Not to be ignored. And yet…
Life keeps slipping by, whether I’m ready or not.
This week I’m working through the sixth (of seven) sections in An American Lament. I’m also thinking about how to participate in ways that require more than my everyday bravery or courage.
What I most want to do is listen to the untold, under-appreciated stories of at least one traveler in a life and time I thought I knew, but didn’t. One story at a time. Unfiltered.
I wonder…How do you hope to spend your one precious life?
Happy Monday!
Elouise♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 31 August 2020
John James Audubon’s Great Blue Heron print found at http://altoonsultan.blogspot.com/
Telling the Truth 
Wonderful painting and poem duo!
Yes, life goes by so quickly…too quickly.
Important questions, Elouise!
From little girl on I’ve tried to live my life in service…to help other people. I can’t do as much these days as I did, still, just a few years ago even…but I keep doing what I can.
Your words and what you are doing is an encouragement to me!
Thank you!
HUGS!!! 🙂
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Thanks, Carolyn, for your kind comment! I lucked out on the painting. Such a handsome guy! 🙂 The older I get, the more I want to go back and do it all again from the start–as the person I’m still becoming. Then again…. 🙂 Hugs and smiles galore! 🙂
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That is the beautiful thing about life…it is a process. We don’t have to be complete today, as a person…we don’t have to get everything done, or right, today…if we are given tomorrow we keep going…keep learning….keep becoming. 🙂
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Hi Elouise,
That question is too much for me to handle – it has always overwhelmed me, paralyzed me, and often led me to depression and despair. I’ve had to stop asking it.
Instead, I go forward trusting that I am to receive my life from God and trusting that he will give it as I need it. It’s the only way I’ve been able to manage. Sometimes I wonder if it is a cop out, and maybe it is; maybe someday I’ll be healthy and strong enough to face it again.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
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Hi, dw.
Thanks for your response. Yes, we can only live one day at a time. It’s difficult for me to look back at my life and identify a vision for where I thought I was going. Survival (my major mode most of my life) meant and still means taking it one day at a time.
So the question is what will I do with today? Especially given today’s circumstances. The current unrest in this country is in our faces. Looking the other way is like deciding to do nothing with my life. For me, each day is about digging in (as you are) and finding a place from which to inch forward. Just for today. This calls for humility and bravery.
Thanks again for your thoughtful response.
Elouise
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