slides out of Glacier and onto the Front,
stopping occasionally, dropping college kids
with new styles in old towns
mom smiles and hugs, saving a comment for later
while little brother drops a spot in the pecking order…
as one year blends into the next. Every year I ask, “If I could freeze my aging what age would it be?” And, I always answer, “well... maybe this age. It was so full of enlightenment.”
My dog is 4 and her hips are already bothering her. I'm 31 - my joints ache with passing low pressure and the crows feet and bald spot imperceptibly grow each day. But we can both still climb a mountain or go for a long run. And we grow wiser every year. She no longer sprints in circles for the first 2 miles of a long hike and I stay away from those girls dad always warned me about.
The only thing I miss is the pure athleticism and naive invincibility I had until I was 25. Aging is a trade off - I guess I am learning to adjust to the un-negotiable aspects of that tradeoff - (imagined) invincibility for wisdom. I’m not sure yet which I like better, even though I know wisdom prevail.
If I had wisdom in my early twenties my joints wouldn’t ache and I wouldn't have my memories of dropping cliffs on my snowboard during the ego-snow days. I resist the changes I feel coming but I’m happy I don’t have to change anything.
