Mid-January reflections

Our walking group yesterday

I've been walking with this group for years now, and yesterday's walk was the smallest turnout I've seen in all our various weather configurations. Nobody wanted to go out and walk around on the snow-covered trails. We've walked in a downpour, on slippery sidewalks, in windstorms, and even occasionally under sunny skies. But yesterday only seven of us showed up. Cindy sent around an email changing our venue from the downtown area to the trails behind Barkley Haggen's grocery store. We walked from there to Whatcom Falls and turned around. Not a long walk, but it had plenty of icy patches. It's a lot of work to walk on snow, but nobody fell, not even me!

After a week of below-normal temperatures and all this snow, things are gradually returning to normal. Yesterday it got all the way up to above freezing, and today should see much of the remaining snow melt away. At least I can drive around now without fear of hitting any ice and losing control of my car. When I lived in Colorado I learned to drive in these conditions, but I'm older now and much less confident behind the wheel driving in snow and ice.

And so many of my usual activities have been curtailed because of the weather. On Thursday, the Senior Center was closed and some intrepid hikers showed up anyway. One of the hiking groups canceled, and the other (ours) decided to hike around the Lake Padden upper trails. I decided just to make it home and stay inside, since the driving was still not good on side roads. I've had all the winter weather I need for the season.

Today my friend Judy and I will head to our local theater to see 1917. Neither of us are anxious to see this movie, another war film. And as many historical buffs know, this was one of the most awful wars ever. But the movie has garnered so many Oscar nominations that we will go anyway and decide how we feel about it. Yesterday I streamed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and watched it at home. I enjoyed it very much, and the performances by Leonardo diCaprio and Brad Pitt were wonderful. They have both earned well deserved nominations.

A few weeks ago we saw Little Women, which I truly enjoyed and, so far of the ones I've seen, would pick it as the best picture of the year. The premise is slightly changed from all the previous versions, and the performances are stellar. I don't understand why Greta Gerwig, the writer and director, was not nominated for awards, I really don't. I've read that it's partly politics; women are not supposed to be good at this sort of thing. Whatever. It is a delight and I highly recommend it. The period costumes are incredible, too.

It was a week of interrupted plans, but I still found plenty to enjoy. These days you can stay in your own cozy little abode and find lots of interesting diversions. I have read a couple of books and streamed some episodes of Star Trek on my iPad, and occasionally even turned on the TV and watched the news. I remember when it was impossible to stay up to date without watching TV, but now it's an afterthought. My laptop brings me plenty of news programs, and I can choose to read and watch what I am most interested in. I pay for access to so many national newspapers that I cannot keep up. It's sure an interesting time to be alive.

It was only a few weeks ago that the only thing I could think about was the condition of my back, especially the sciatic nerve that caused me to walk around like an old person with a bad back. Today I am still an old person, but the aches and pains of my back are completely gone. I credit my acupuncturist, massage therapist, chiropractor, and yoga for that wonderful state of affairs. I know that whatever difficulties I face in the future will benefit from these practitioners, too. Although I am still grappling with the fact of birthdays coming around way too often, I know that for my age I'm doing just fine. Soon it will be time for my annual wellness visit, and I'm hoping that the numbers in my blood draws will not show anything untoward. But you never know: it's important to visit the doctor now and then, even if you're healthy.

When I think back over my long life and reminisce about all that I once did and no longer even miss, such as my skydiving years, or my career that I left behind more than a decade ago, I am really quite amazed that I've found so much pleasure in making my own routines. My friends and family sustain me in many ways, too. Writing my posts every week also help to keep me engaged and mentally sharp. This morning I had absolutely no idea where I'd be traveling in these musings, but somehow or other I've managed to eke out some semblance of a blog post here. I like to write, but actually I like to read other people's writings even more. The blogosphere is filled with interesting people, and I visit some of them daily, too. What a full life! Where did I ever find the time to fit in a job?

Part of it is that I've slowed down and begun the process of letting go of extraneous aspects of life, and now I can just sit back in my easy chair and ponder just what I want to do with my remaining time on this beautiful planet. One thing I know I will never stop doing: realizing my great good fortune and being grateful for all that I am able to appreciate and enjoy. I am guided by those who are also traveling this path with me, and learning how to find gratitude in everyday little pleasures.

It's way more fun to think about the good stuff than to be a grumpy old curmudgeon. We all have some of those people in our lives, and it's probably a good idea to simply smile and maybe even commiserate for awhile. But not for long; I'll be looking for people who are in love with life to hang around with. Just like any virus can be contagious, so can the benign virus of love. I'll spend my days spreading that virus, I hope.

So, dear friends, until next week when we meet again, I hope you will spread that virus and find plenty in your life to be grateful for. I have my dear partner sleeping next to me, softly snoring, my tea is long gone, and the coffee shop and my pals there are calling to me. Please take these days ahead to look on the good side of life; it's there for all of us, I know it is. I wish you all good things.