Where have all the flowers gone
Long time passin’?
Where have all the flowers gone
Long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one!
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn!
This 1960’s protest song honors the emotions of people bringing flowers to decorate the headstones of those whose lives were sacrificed in the line of military action. The soldiers themselves were flowers, too – - plucked by the involuntary draft system from the prime of youth and planted in early graves.
This song has a tone of bewilderment, as though the lyricist has just looked around and noticed – - “Hey ! What happened to all of the flowers that used to grow around here?”
In mid-life, we sometimes find ourselves feeling a similar way. We look around and notice some “flowers” are missing that we used to take for granted. We remember having things like telephones that worked for years on end without breaking; and we remember when Big Brother was just a science fiction writer’s imaginary nightmare.
Somewhere around the middle of life, we recognize that we can no longer hold back the tidal wave of changes, both inside ourselves and outside in our communities. Things. Are. Changing. When did THAT start happening?
Imagine: a stop-action series of full-body photos of you from the day you were born, every year until now. WOW! We have been changing all the time!
Somewhere around mid-life, however, change becomes the dinner guest who just doesn’t get the hint to leave. In our youth-obsessed culture, when you lose a baby tooth, there is a celebration of growth; when you lose your waistline, not so much. You grow another inch, your presence gains greater weight in society; you grow another gray hair, you take another step toward becoming one of the invisibly old-aged.
When change starts to look like it sucks more than not, we sometimes subtly slide into a negative mindset. This cascade into crotchety old-cronyism is not an inevitable descent!
In middle age is where some of the more refined aspects of yoga – - flexibility of the mind – - begin to stand out as practical tools to manage our relationship with change. Ancient Chinese Taoist and I Ching philosophies will contribute surprisingly up-to-the-minute and accessible ideas, as well.
Stay tuned to this weekly blog for amusing and practical stories and information about how non-athletic and middle-aged people can use these ancient Eastern techniques to feel good about the changes that they are experiencing in their lives. Be prepared to be cheered and challenged! See you next week!
Related posts:
- The Happy Space Cadet: Tales From The Final Frontier
- The Happy Space Cadet: Tales From The Final Frontier
- The Happy Space Cadet: Tales from The Final Frontier
- The Happy Space Cadet:Tales From The Final Frontier
- The Broader Aspects Of Yoga
Janet! How are you! I just discovered Yoga this week…..I am totally into it….well, some CHANGES have made me need to become more flexible physically. I run many miles each week and have been feeling like change is inevitable and now I have found a peaceful spiritual way to manage it!