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September 14, 2008 Change in the seasons sparks thoughts of mortality
I don’t know if I have a favorite season of the year anymore. I used to say it was fall because the air was so crisp and colors so vibrant. I seem to cherish them all as I grow older – maybe hoping that appreciating them will slow their inevitable march.
It feels like just yesterday that our long, cool spring gave way to summer. That change felt abrupt to me this year. Suddenly there wasn’t any need for heat and you could wander out after dark in shirt sleeves and sandals and feel the soft warmth of the evening air with no hint of chilliness. We’d have to remember to shut the windows and patio doors at bedtime as nothing in the temperature would remind us. Coats became a thing of the past.
Now coming back recently from a music filled weekend of camping with friends and listening to outstanding music, I felt the change in season. It struck me as abruptly as the transition to summer did. Shoes, socks, sweaters, sweatshirts, even a fleece jacket and extra blanket suddenly were needed as we sat under the stars listening to a night concert while sipping hot drinks from a thermos. Tapping hands and feet to the rhythms helped too.
Along with the march of seasons and years come inevitable changes in the extended friendships, now spanning over thirty years. Things happen slowly, over time, but the evolution is real and at times hits me more than others. This was one of them.
The friendships span multiple generations with the expanse of campsites taking on the feel of its own community. Kids abound. I learn what’s new. A ball you can flatten temporarily by pushing on it pops suddenly back to round form bringing shrieks and giggles from the toddler set. Older kids work their crafts for sale or pleasure. No matter the age, all are equally included in conversation and fellowship.
It’s also hard not to notice the original core of campers, now often grandparents, evolving to the minority. Perhaps this felt more apparent because not all could be there. Health kept some away and they were missed.
Catching up with friends now inevitably involves catching up on health as well. Jokes are made. “Do you remember your parents talking about their health all the time? Look at us – we’re doing that!” Laughter.
What I didn’t see when I was young is that having health issues to talk about is a universal thing. As a child health issues seemed unusual, unfortunate events happening in isolated situations. That isn’t the case.
It’s so natural for people that care about each other to want to know how the other is doing. That means catching up on health. While going on and on about one’s health may not be good, it’s important to catch up, share knowledge and teach each other in the process. The practicality of what we might have considered a strange pastime when young becomes apparent with age.
In a truly age integrated society we’ll see all people’s health issues as our own – “there but for the grace of god go I”. We’re not there yet. We can’t seem to see that even simple patterns, like older people talking about their health are simply extensions of where we’ll inevitably be if we’re lucky enough to live that long.
Wonder if we’ll ever get to the stage of not thinking in terms of age or disability, but simply seeing all as people? I don’t know - but my little group of friends does pretty good.