Monday, December 19, 2011
Living an Inspired Life
I truly like living the inspired life.
I like having no fixed agenda and no hard and fast commitments. It’s one of the few glories of being retired and being an elderly. No more alarm clocks, no more merry-go-round. I take my ease and do as I please.
Nevertheless, I do have fixed daily routines – dishes, beds, meals, showers, laundry – those things – but anything else? If I don’t get it done today, there is always tomorrow. One of the reasons that lately my blogs are so few and far between.
But mostly, whatever I do, if I want to be happy while doing it and completely satisfied with the result, it must be done, not as a chore, or as an obligation of dignified living, but rather as an endeavor fueled by ‘inspiration’.
Cooking the most intricate of dishes will not fail if done in a moment of inspiration. The house will be as clean and neat as I could ever wish it to be if the job is done in a moment of inspiration. The card I send will have the right words to express the best kind of wishes if done in a moment of inspiration. Even shopping, when done in a moment of inspiration, brings better choices and greater satisfaction. And if my blog is not fueled by inspiration, which it oftentimes isn’t, it can be such a drag for both writer and reader.
Now, for the most part, my inspiration serves me well enough. It kicks in come spring when gardening should start. It kicks it at harvest time, and fuels my days well when I have guests. It kicks in for extra baking on cool and rainy days. It even kicks in when walls, curtains, floors, or windows need cleaning. So with my inspiration, I really am not just an eternal procrastinator and ruddy slouch.
But oh, but oh. When Christmas is coming my inspiration is so oft times tardy, and when it does kick in, so bloody sporadic. That’s when I dearly wish that I lived the life of the self-disciplined, and organized individuals, who know what needs to be done, how soon it needs to be done, and by God, come hell or high water, they will get it done.
At no other time of the year do I envy these people. They take life way too seriously. For the most part I feel quite sorry for them, and oft think that on their death bed, in that final hour, they will bolt upright in bed to tell someone to please ‘do the front window before the surviving members of the family come for visitation’. And they meant to ask, but the light went out too soon, for someone to polish their Sunday shoes.
But as for me, right now, my inspiration is to wish you and those you love, a bountiful, meaningful, and joyful Holiday Season! Be inspired and delight in it!
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7 comments:
And I am inspired to answer "Same to you dear blogging buddy."
Heaps of blessings on your and yours.
I will be retired come June and am looking forward to that do-it-because-I-want-to-not-because-I-have-to kind of life. I may spend the first few days or weeks or years just lolling about, thinking about what I want to do :)
What a beautiful post Roberta. You inspire and touch me all the time with your 'way with words.' Blessings to you and your family this holiday....and may 2012 be VERY good to you dear friend. ~Joy
I've adopted some of the same philosophy you espouse here since becoming semi-retired. I had sometimes wondered if I was simply rationalizing and might have, instead, developed a lazy streak. I'm reassured now that I'm simply awaiting inspiration and am in good company doing so.
Best holiday wishes to you and loved ones.
You referred to yourself as elderly but as active as you describe being I don't think of you as being frail. Given your wisdom I think you must be an elder. (ala the language differentiation Ronni Bennett makes at "Time Goes By.")
Hi Pauline, thanks for that comment. I'm quite certain with all that poetry in your soul and that uncanny appreciation for nature you will absolutely enjoy retirement doing as you say - what you choose to do rather than what you are obligated to do.
Greetings Joy. Every good and wonderful wish for you too, not for just this season, or this day, or this year, but for all of it.
Thank you for your kind comments that make for new inspiration..
Hi joared. Have to tell you that although I frequently read "Time Goes By" I can't say that I recall the difference between an 'elder' and 'elderly'. All I know is I feel somewhat weathered and beaten some days, rather normal on others.
Awaiting inspiration cannot be called 'a lazy streak' -- it's not always so easy waiting for inspiration with all that guilt paining the soul for putting things off until the inspired moment arrives. It's just not so easy as others who are more hard driven would think it to be.
Still Joared, stick with me and we'll wait it out. If inspiration doesn't eventually come, it probably wasn't worth doing right from the get-go. (chuckle)
Enjoyed your visit. Thanks for dropping in.
Ah-h-h, guilt!
As I interpret the elder/elderly terms:
Elder refers to one whose views and knowledge are respected in the community -- not always age-related, but often older individuals with life experience.
Elderly usually refers to the oldest of the old who are likely more inactive, frail with significant medical problems, perhaps dependent on others for care.
Frankly, after serving the needs of the adult population, and many "older" adults, I find this differentiation most appropriate and needed. The life span of the older adult population is extending making specifying these various group differences more important.
The language used to describe these populations influences how other generations perceive older adults, how we define ourselves, plus how we're defined and treated by our entire culture.
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