THE KIND OF OLD LADY I PLAN ON BEING ONE DAY

Eloise-ish

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The weather app on my phone told me that the low was forty, but the high for the day would be in the sixties. I could do forty, I thought even as I heard the furnace kick on for the house. I zipped up my sleeping bag coat, added a layer of gloves under my mittens and backed the Vespa out of the garage. Turns out that the extra layer of gloves did not keep my finger tips from freezing and I could not feel the tops of my thighs by the time I reached the parking garage. Forty degrees is colder than I had anticipated, but I only had to travel four miles in it. Four miles is a blink of an eye when traveling at my usual speeds. Surprisingly, a blink of an eye is all the time I need to imagine myself at age eighty, zipping around cars and flying over speed bumps on my scooter.

I want to be doing exactly that as an old lady.

When I think about the old lady I want to be one day, I always think of Tao Porchon-Lynch, the 101 year old yoga teacher. I went to look her up for this entry and discovered that she passed away in February. I’ve read her autobiography, but as I read through the obituary on her website, I was once again floored by this woman’s extraordinary life. I am inspired by her optimistic view and her inner joyful light that shown through her eyes and smile. A pinch of sadness hit me when I heard of her passing. I suppose I thought she would just go on teaching yoga and shimmering with joy for ever and ever. Except I guess maybe she decided that she had done enough shimmering and it was time to move on from this world.

Some time ago, I wrote a little story here about an eighty year old master surfer and maker of surf boards. I gave her the name of Ida Merryweather and last we left her, she was convincing her apprentice to help her sneak her friends out of the nursing home to go surfing. She was partly inspired by Tao, but also an imagination of the woman I would like to be at age eighty. I want to start the day by hearing my old joints pop and crackle as I get out of bed and stretch, gulp down some vitamin C and scramble up an egg for breakfast. Then I want to pack up whatever little terrier I have at the time (probably named Josephine because of genetics and how my Pepaw had at least three Penny’s before he died) and head out on the scooter. No plans. There might be stops for coffee or stops for photo taking. Me and the pup will take a picnic break in a park and go for a walk. I’ll do yoga and feed birds. Maybe I’ll start knitting again. I will collect a group of senior citizen friends and we will go once a week to play bingo and once a year on a big adventurous trip like touring the pyramids or camping in Africa. We’ll take up surfing and swimming with sharks.

Know that the joy of living is right inside you - Tao Porchon-Lynch

I am in training for those days now with brisk morning scooter rides and honoring that instinct to stop and take the picture. I’m going to torture class to keep these bones strong for swimming with (an if need be, fighting off) sharks. I’m eating greens and tofu because it’s good for me (also because I like it), but on occasion, I’m having ice-cream for dinner because that’s good for me too. I dance in the grocery store when a good beat is playing through the store speakers. Sometimes I sing along to those tunes. I do this because I really really believe that the knowledge of my very own inner pool of joy, is what’s going to allow me to be that spry, yoga practicing, scooter riding, bingo hopper, globe trotting, shark swimming eighty year old woman I plan on being one day.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Blinding Fall

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A few weeks back, I ran across some words of wisdom from Tao Porchon-Lynch, the world's oldest living yoga teacher. Seriously. Go check out her pictures. I'll wait. Gah! Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?!?! I just want to scoop her up and carry her around in my pocket. Please, can I be just like her when I'm 98? Any way...there was a small little article about her in Well and Good where she gave three tips for happiness. Now, I will admit that her advice is not something I haven't already heard before. Don't dwell on the bad things that might happen. Don't judge people. Begin each day with joy. These are all things we've learned before, most of them in kindergarten, but sometimes we need a little reminder. 

In my case, I needed the reminder to start my day with joy or at the very least, set the intention to make the day a joyful day. That's an easy habit to get out of because sometimes just reaching over to turn off the alarm is exhausting. Josephine's taken to curling up next to my head on the same side of the bed I crawl out of in the mornings. It is really remarkable how much that little dog can suddenly weigh or seal herself to the comforter. She knows instinctively that we both don't really want to go any where. This does not really set the intention for having a joyful day, more like setting the intention to take a nap later. This week, I've been making more of an effort. I roll over and turn off the alarm. Then I take a minute or two to snuggle the puppy before scooping her up and telling her that it is time to start our day. Her response is to jump off the bed and put her front paws up the wall by the door and stretching out long while tapping her paws on the wall. This is how we both start our day with a little bit of joy.

This week I am thankful for the reminder to not just find a little bit of joy during the day, but to start my day with it. I am thankful for the reminder to set the intention for happiness. It doesn't mean that things during the day don't irritate me or that the day even goes as I had planned. It matters that I started out with making the good intention. I am thankful for those short minutes of cuddle time with Josephine especially now that the weather has gotten colder. She's like a little furnace I can curl up around. I am thankful for moments of joy that arise from simply being mindful. The scooter rides this week have been brisk in the mornings, leaving my cheeks rosy, but I am grinning from ear to ear whenever I reach my destination. I am thankful for spritely 98 year old women who inspire me and give me hope that older doesn't mean decrepit. 

I am thankful for evening walks before the sun goes down. I am thankful for soup made with tomatoes I roasted from the garden. I am thankful for surprise artists that show up in my Pandora playlist like Joni Mitchell. I am thankful for you. Here's to a bright sparkly Fall weekend and super Thankful Friday!