Of course not always. But it hit me today that as we age, we lose more and more of the things we spent a lifetime taking for granted. Our brain power, our body’s capabilities, our reaction time, perhaps our physical attractiveness, our health. What I’m saying is none of these things generally improve with age. And that takes a toll on our attitude and outlook.
But much greater losses inevitably pile on. We lose our parents, our loved ones, perhaps our children, our colleagues, our friends, and even people we continue to do business with like the grocer, the wine merchant, the dry cleaner, etc. The biggest of these losses has been my husband, but certainly most would agree the loss of whomever we feel closest to, especially those we depend on daily, weighs most heavily.
So as I find my finnicky self moving things in my home—perhaps only a quarter of an inch, perhaps from one spot to another and back the next day—I realize this gives me a sense of control over something. Unhappily, it tends to be pure minutia.
Having this realization could help me lighten up on the minutia. None of it matters in a serious way. I vow to myself to simply enjoy my many blessings, even if some might look better in a slightly different position or new locale altogether!