January 14, 2015
An old friend from my childhood has come to visit me and I think that she will be staying for a while. After catching a glimpse online of the Fisher Price Little People of my youth (the wooden ones), I asked my mom to search the closets and send up the one that we always assumed was the mom in our playtime scenarios.
Looking at her now, I see that she can also be called grandmotherly with her white (albeit) plastic hair pulled back into a bun. She actually is the girl with the grandmother face that I aspire to become. With a Mona Lisa smile and kind eyes that twinkle with wisdom and delight.
I have been fortunate to have many wonderful women mentors and role models in my life. From professors who took the time to guide me, my aunt who loved me unconditionally as I navigated the road into adulthood and female bosses who knew how to reach out with a helping hand to show me the way professionally. I treasure all those experiences and hope that I embody those qualities as I lead women in retreat, meet them in the community and join with them in conversation and connection.
But this woman who has reappeared in my life, who now sits on the windowsill above my kitchen sink and greets me each day, she is the one who is guiding me now. I see in her the opportunity to age with sageness. To let go of what no longer works and to say yes boldly to what brings me joy. Because life is short, sometimes too short, and you need to reach outand grab what makes you happy. I know that the aging of my body (the gray hair, the new wrinkles at the corners of my eyes, the slight aches that I am starting to feel) is inevitable but the aging of my spirit is a choice. I look forward to becoming like this old friend, a girl with a grandmotherly face, who lets go of the irremediable pursuit to look young and sagaciously embraces the rewards of a life that is long and well-lived and lets that shine through in her spirit.