A WET WINTER
It’s winter in California and that usually means rain. Unlike my childhood in Minnesota where the weather could vary wildly in just one day, California is relatively predictable. It’s dry in the summer and wet in the winter. This winter has been particularly drenched. Rain. There is something about it that feels sad and comforting at the same time. Grey skies bring up melancholy feelings in the same way a sunny day lifts my spirits, but it’s not a depressing sadness. In the winter, when the rain comes down in torrents, I just hunker down and avoid going out. There is a sense of coziness and safety when my little house protects me from the crazy weather outside. Sometimes I feel like I am in a car wash when the rain crashes and splashes against my big living room picture windows. It’s a little scary, but it’s awe inspiring too. BLUE FEELINGS ON A GREY DAY I tend to go inside myself and feel the poignancy of loss on a rainy day. It’s not just the loss of friends and family that flows through my mind, it’s also other things I have had to let go of. At this time of my life the affects of aging are particularly apparent. My hair is thinner but not my body. My balance is a little iffy. I forget the safe places that I purposely put things so that I won’t forget where they are. I am beginning to realize that taking a major trip to some exotic foreign place won’t be as easy as it used to be. My idea of a future adventure is more likely to involve watching it on TV rather than being there in person. LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE Actually, I don’t need to go far from home to start a new adventure. I just welcomed in a new housemate. She is 32 and the youngest housemate I have had in quite a while. This made me think about where I was at 32; I was recently divorced and struggling with what being single had in store for me. Like the fluctuations in the weather, there were a ton of ups and downs looming in my future. They all helped me find myself and build a new life. A big part of that was buying my little house and a few years later putting my first ad in the newspaper to rent out a room. My new housemate moved in yesterday. She is just starting on her life’s adventures, like I was at her age, and she is looking for a comfortable and peaceful place to call home. I am happy that I can offer that. I am also happy that I am not 32. My life may not be opening up before me like it is for her, but it’s not over yet. I have the experience and fortitude that comes with being a little old lady with cats. I’m not concerned that this rainy day might make me feel a little sad. It’s just part of life. Sadness sometimes balances the ups and downs and makes the happy times seem even better. What the heck, let it rain!
1 Comment
3/6/2024 07:12:46 pm
Howja like todo lottsa gobbsa
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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WHAT IS A LITTLE OLD LADY WITH CATS - REALLY?
(from an entry posted on 5/1/2015) “I definitely fit some of the characteristics of a little old lady with cats: Retired - check, Single - check, Like to knit - check, Have cats - check. . .I do not want to get stuck in my Little Old Lady persona, however. In fact, this blog is a risk taking experiment in exploring and redefining what I want my retired life to look like.” Categories
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