As the expression goes, life is made up of little moments, not the chronological unfolding of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years that one lives. Those all seem to run together after awhile.

No, life is made up of special moments — moments that can be life-altering or life-changing, the memories of which stay forever in our minds, and sometimes change the way we look at things, which holds the possibility of changing the types of choices we make.

Though sometimes the fast pace of daily living causes us to miss those cherished moments, we realize that we need to slow it down enough that we can remember how precious it is to be alive, and to love.

A milestone birthday is a moment, to be sure. This month I celebrated one of those milestone birthdays, and have a poem to share as a result. It is found in one of my newest trio of books, MILESTONES*. Matter of fact, it is the lead-off poem.

AT EIGHTY

As an intro to MILESTONES, I thought it would be
Of interest to share memories from my diary.
And though I’m unique, my life’s much the same
As others who live through events and are still “in the game.”

There are wisdoms and thoughts I’d like to pass along,
And I sing them loudly, for they are my life’s song:
You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.
Keep your mind young and don’t always do what you’re told.

Becoming eighty is merely a matter of life and death.
I choose life, and I’ll live it to my very last breath.
In my dreams I’m never eighty years old.
My adventures as I sleep are marvelous to behold!

Now, granted, at eighty, my birthday suit needs pressing,
But as I look around I am happily processing
The knowledge I’ve accumulated throughout my years,
And the joys of sharing them now, without fears.

The biggest advantage of living to this age
Is the time to acquire people to love at each stage.
In my youth there were people of action and adventure;
The more physical the activity, the more excitement, to be sure.

And later I found friends who were seeking something more…
A reason for existence beyond “minding the store.”
What is my purpose? What does it all mean?
The questions were large. The answers unseen.

Time has a way of moving things along
Some answers came slowly and some poured headlong.
Enough to learn I must share what I know,
Starting with family, then others to follow.

It takes a long lifetime to grow young once more;
From birth through youth, to a full four score.
The advantage of living to 80 and more?
There’s more people to love, but who’s keeping score?

At 80,
Jessica Tandy won a Best Actress Oscar, Yuichiro Miura climbed Mt. Everest,
And Coco was still running Chanel. There’s life still to be lived!

*The other two books are GRATITUDE and TAPESTRY. They are all found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at your favorite book store (by order).

In the winter of 1976 my life as I knew it, was beginning to unravel and I felt completely out of balance. I was ricocheting from side to side, down the tunnel of life, trying to keep myself and my children from harm’s way, and missing out on all the pleasures in the middle — the sweet rewards of a simple, more straightforward life.

At about the same time my father was going to Costa Rica to visit his brother for a month, and my mother didn’t want to go along, and suggested I go in her place. She would take care of my kids — take them to school, to ice skating lessons, cook and clean for them, etc. — a real grandmother’s holiday!!

So, upon landing in Costa Rica I was handed a Spanish/English dictionary by my uncle’s housekeeper, Miriam Abarca Rojas, so that she and I could communicate while my father and uncle had their visit.

Seeking balance in my life, I immediately looked up the word in Spanish, imagining it would be a most wonderful word, totally unlike its English counterpart. Imagine my dismay, and then my relief, when I found was exactly the same word: balance — only pronounced a little differently: BA-LAN-SAY.

This poem of mine is found in my book HEARTSTRINGS, on page 42. Enjoy!

CREATING BALANCE

Perhaps the single most important challenge
In life is for you to maintain
A balance as you make your way along the path —
A balance that is tricky to obtain.

Between dark and light — between spirit and form —
It’s not a choice between extremes.
The challenge is bringing the two together
Into a larger unity, with bigger themes.

You don’t have to choose either conformity or freedom.
Both are appropriate at different times;
And listening to words with acceptance or doubt
Has its place in different paradigms.

It’s not one over the other — black or white.
It’s seeing what’s appropriate when choosing.
It’s a balancing act that plays with opposites,
And takes time and thoughtful perusing.

Yes, I realize that the month of November has been traditionally set aside as the “official” time of the year to be grateful; and it all culminates around a turkey dinner with lots of mashed potatoes and gravy, topped off with pumpkin pie and whipped cream . . . followed by a nap in front of the TV while the football game noisily concludes and . . .

WAIT A MINUTE!!! NO!!!! Stop this scenario!!

Gratitude is universal, and needs to be present in our lives on a daily basis . . . all 12 months!! Gratitude is the gateway to a positive life. (It is really hard to be angry when you’re grateful.) As Oprah Winfrey shares in her book, This I Know For Sure:

“It’s when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life — this I know for sure.”

This poem of mine, GRATITUDE, is found in my book of poetry called HEARTSTRINGS, on page 51, and is here for you to enjoy:

GRATITUDE

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life;
It turns what we have into more.
It’s the healthiest of all the human emotions,
The highest form of thought, and furthermore…

It’s the greatest of virtues, the parent of all.
Gratitude helps us grow and expand;
It brings joy and laughter into our lives.
It makes sense of our past;
We know where we stand.

And as we express our gratitude
We must never forget this wisdom:
The highest appreciation for what we have
Is not to utter the words, but live by them.