Constants

We move through our entire lives facing change: interests may change, relationships come and go, health problems may crop up, abilities and needs shift, relocation may become necessary, careers change, social status alters; and the list goes on. Despite all the major changes a person experiences as he or she moves through life, some things remain constant. The love a person feels for particular family members, the affections we have for the dogs that spend their short lives with us, the beauty of a sunset, and the feel of dew on bare feet on an early summer morning – these are moments a person cherishes regardless of age and stage of life.

I thought about what has remained constant in my life through 60+ years on this earth. Some of these constants, such as a quick temper, being easily annoyed by fools, dislike of authority along with silly or ridiculous rules and protocol and procedure, and a preference for my own company rather than the company of others may not be constants to boast about, but they are attributes that have stayed with me throughout my life. Age hasn’t tempered these quirks. In fact, some of them, such as my inability to suffer idiots, has increased in force and intensity as I’ve aged, not mellowed out with time.

On the flip side, I have what may be considered more positive constants that have been a part of who I am for decades. These activities and objects include riding my bike, feeling the sun on my shoulders, warm breezes caressing me, long solitary walks in the company of my dogs, sunshine, sunshine, sunshine, and a wide open night sky sprinkled lavishly with stars and planets. I could happily live in the high desert country and enjoy sunshine 360 days of the year. The high desert country would also illuminate the myriad stars in the night sky and allow me to learn the locations of more constellations and to observe the planets as they journey through the endless dark heavens.

The list of constants goes on and on, of activities, places, objects and feelings that have been an essential part of my makeup my entire life. Age has allowed me to embrace them, both the positive and the negative aspects, and to understand that this is what and who I am. If I no longer can tolerate fools in silence, so be it. If age has permitted me to have the courage to tell an interviewer who twitters on and on about ‘working as a team’ that I would rather play solitaire, I consider that a plus. If my impatience level can reach earthquake proportions, well, maybe I have a RIGHT to be impatient, and that isn’t all bad either. I figure I’ve walked around the block a time or two, and I am entitled to my imperfections. I earned my gray hair, and my constants of what I like and dislike, what I appreciate or do not appreciate, belong to me, whether others view them as good or bad. These constants still define and single me out as an in individual.

I am entitled to appreciate and savor the aspects of me that keep me going, such as the pleasure of reading a good book, completing a project of some sort, or sipping a glass of wine. The anticipation of experiencing one or more of these many joys each day helps me get through life, and I appreciate the constants that signify me and acknowledge them.

Time, experience and our own personalities have combined to make us the product we are today, and although some of what constitutes us as individuals today will undergo change and move us into another direction in the future, a lot of what we are today will remain an essential part of our makeup for the rest of our lives.