Aging is an Art

02020-10-20 | Uncategorized | 6 comments

1. A lovely post on aging can be found here.

Then, the face smiled, and I recognized it as my own. Laughter lines can change the way we look as well as the way we feel and how others see us. Laughter doesn’t recognize age. I think that my first impression of shock at looking into the mirror was because I was wearing the eyes of a young woman. Deep within my subliminal, is a perpetually young girl. It was me at 17 looking at me at 77 and not recognizing myself.

2. The Age-Well Project has a lot of great posts about aging. It’s been in my RSS reader for a long time.

PS:
Jon told me that the great pianist Keith Jarrett revealed that he’s had a series of strokes since 2018 and that his left hand is pretty much out of the game permanently. Here is an article about it that I found in the NYT.

The Köln Concert happened while I was in high school. In 1994 I got to experience Keith Jarret at the Blue Note in New York, with his trio… It was an amazing experience that I still cherish.

Jon then reminded me that I once told him about a Japanese master calligrapher who was in his 90s and said he’d like to live a little longer because he was starting to get it.

We agreed that we could both identify with that statement. I do think that Jon is at the top of his game at present, playing better than ever. I also like how my work is progressing. The last two records sound great… my hands may hurt occasionally and my hearing may not be quite as good as it used to be but I am making up for that with my understanding and with my imagination. And we still have a way to go until our Nineties!

6 Comments

  1. Melissa

    My dear friend April was 87, a gifted poet and story teller. She was from Brazil, a true beauty inside and out. April carried butterscotch candies in her pockets to share upon greeting and her hugs left one smelling of musty Jean Nate.

    April regularly had her hair coiffed at the local beauty shop. One lovely spring day she left her hair appointment feeling especially beautiful, as she was dressed to attend a friend’s birthday luncheon a few blocks up the street.

    As April emerged, a teenager on a skateboard zoomed past her and turned his head back while shouting “Look out for the old lady!”

    April took a giant step back into the shop’s foyer as another teenager zoomed past.

    She waited for the old lady to pass. And waited.
    And waited…
    then realized that she was the old lady.

    Aging is the best part of my life, every day of my life. I wouldn’t go back a single minute for any reason, even to correct mistakes made (everything being connected).

    Reply
    • ottmar

      Thank you. I love that story!

      Reply
    • Amna Mohamed

      Too right.
      Every moment is a step towards the next.
      If we falter, the next step in the journey is stronger.

      Reply
  2. Susan Saunders

    Thank you so much for your lovely comment about The Age-Well Project. We’re so thrilled you like the blog.

    Reply
    • ottmar

      Thank you and keep it up, because you are creating a much needed resource.

      Reply
  3. JaneParhamKatz

    I love the woman who, at 85, entered law school. Her friends told her it was crazy. “You’ll be 90 by the time you finish!” She replied, “I’ll be 90 anyway. Might as well be 90 with a law degree. Ha ha!”

    Also, it’s crucial what you entertain in your mind, what you allow to linger there. It is reflected in your body.

    Reply

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