Reflections @ XLII: In the Hands of the Skilled Potter
Photo: Daniel Dela Dunoo (Author, Ghostwriter, Editor, Publishing professional) When you hit forty-two, you begin to see that life isn’t this tidy, uphill march or a clear-cut story where everything makes sense. It’s messier; woven together with wins, losses, times when everything feels full, and moments that seem empty. Looking back as I turned forty-two, I tried to distill some of these thoughts into a short poem, “Reflections @ xlii.” But really, what’s behind those lines is this: life isn’t so much about arriving somewhere; it’s about always changing, always becoming. The poem kicks off with some honest contrasts: “The joys, however fleeting; The anguish, however overwhelming; The respites, however transient; The toils, however unrelenting…” That’s just how life feels, isn’t it? Joy comes and goes. Pain likes to hang around a little too long. Rest slips away fast, but work and responsibility can feel endless. By forty-two, you’ve lived enough ...