But are we?
For someone whose Twitter handle is "@RamblinGarden", I don't blog a whole lot about gardening, do I?
In recent years, I've not been gardening that much. My spouse has taken up the main responsibilities for various reasons. But now, we are torn in several directions and I am not sure either one of us is going to have the energy to make two garden plots successful. Last year, due to unexpected responsibilities, we never even got much of our garden planted.
No matter what they say about age being a number, that number weighs heavy on each of us. Which is why it is more important than ever to remain young.
Over thirty years ago, we homesteaded in rural Arkansas. After a 40 hour paid-labor work week and a one hour (each way) commute to my city job, my spouse and I could stay up some nights to midnight and can, freeze, weed, or whatever. Or do some of the many chores our little homestead demanded. And somehow, we found the energy. (Of course, there was no Internet, and no social media. Coincidence?)
Perhaps, if we had kept up this lifestyle, we still would have had all that energy. But now, at the end of a workday, I don't want to can or freeze. I do some flower gardening at home. I blog. I take pictures. I feel so tired by 7pm. And my spouse feels the tiredness, too.
But we know we have to keep doing what we like to do. "Use it or lose it" is truth.
So today, those onion plants are going to go in (today, spouse prepared the ground). Soon, we will be out there sowing seeds. If you are traveling north on I-81, just north of Binghamton, and see gardeners located in a park, wave and say "hi".
We'll wave back at'cha.
What do you do to "stay young"?
I'm a great believer in gardening helping to keep us young. That's why I do it every day. Moreover, I think it's important to stay engaged in the world, including being good caretakers of the Earth and participating in the political life of the country, as distasteful as they can sometimes be. Most important is keeping the mind active and supple and open to new ideas.
ReplyDeleteKeeping the mind open and open to new ideas - I so agree. My role model is an aunt who was still working full time at 77, when she died in an accident. She had such a zest for life and was so open to new ideas and new music.
DeleteYou're the opposite of me. When I was in my twenties, I had no energy. At all. I couldn't do a shift until 10 PM one night and be able to come in before noon the next day at work. Couldn't physically do it.
ReplyDeleteNow, I have more energy than I ever expected I would. I feel so much better, too.
Use it or lose it, maybe. Perhaps you need to find out if something has been depleted in your system. (It was adrenal support that got me out of my near constant exhaustion.)
I do wonder if my tiredness is due to some kind of imbalance. I am hypothroid, take medication and recently had my levels tested (they were normal) - I still think there is something wrong.
DeleteOh wow! I had no idea about your homesteading experience, Alana. Have you written posts about it before? I seem to have missed them.
ReplyDeleteYes, as much as we want to stay active, the body does protest a little more loudly each year.
I hope your onion plants do well this year.
I haven't blogged about my homesteading experiences too much - it's way in the past now. But I did blog about it a little bit in my "Y" post for the A to Z Challenge.
DeleteNow that my surprise child is out of the house, I notice that my age is settling in. Kind of hard to be a sexgenarian when there's an adolescent about.
ReplyDeleteGuess that's my problem. Oh dear, now my son has to move back home.
DeleteIt's interesting finding that balance of staying involved and motivated, and wanting to do nothing but kick back and blog or sleep. I'm trying to find my middle ground at the time being x
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a process for both of us, Leanne. I think we'll both find it.
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