To Fritter or Not?
Welcome to my blog...or, as my children would define it, the amazing techno adventure for a technically-challenged 61-year-old. but, with your help and encouragement, i intend to find great delight in this new adventure.
so, taking a deep breath and a first step, here we go:
Don't get me wrong--i appreciate thoreau and marvel at his singular thinking and early insight into man and society. perhaps it's just that i had a too-early overdose of thoreauism, taping his quotes on the back of my closet door, so that i'd be sure to read them every morning while dressing. a little ritual: shoes, blouse, thoreau...that sort of thing.
dear thoreau infected me with 'fritter syndrome'--being terrified that my life would be 'frittered away' as he predicted.
endeavoring to avoid that detail-frittered life, i do an end-of-the-day tally: frittered moments vs. fulfilling moments. watching my granddaughter feed and brush her horse, while i sit idly by--might seem frittery to some. wrapping up a day's work, with a clean desk to show for it might rate a check in the fulfilling box. and yet, the categories seem to be shifting. a tidy desk won't say my name long after i'm gone, "sure miss her," but a granddaughter might recall sitting up late at night laughing and telling family tales.
perhaps experiencing cancer had a hand in this perspective. perhaps being on the downhill side of life is the influencer. maybe i'm just growing up.
perhaps i'm just beginning to understand old henry david thoreau after all.
so, taking a deep breath and a first step, here we go:
Don't get me wrong--i appreciate thoreau and marvel at his singular thinking and early insight into man and society. perhaps it's just that i had a too-early overdose of thoreauism, taping his quotes on the back of my closet door, so that i'd be sure to read them every morning while dressing. a little ritual: shoes, blouse, thoreau...that sort of thing.
dear thoreau infected me with 'fritter syndrome'--being terrified that my life would be 'frittered away' as he predicted.
endeavoring to avoid that detail-frittered life, i do an end-of-the-day tally: frittered moments vs. fulfilling moments. watching my granddaughter feed and brush her horse, while i sit idly by--might seem frittery to some. wrapping up a day's work, with a clean desk to show for it might rate a check in the fulfilling box. and yet, the categories seem to be shifting. a tidy desk won't say my name long after i'm gone, "sure miss her," but a granddaughter might recall sitting up late at night laughing and telling family tales.
perhaps experiencing cancer had a hand in this perspective. perhaps being on the downhill side of life is the influencer. maybe i'm just growing up.
perhaps i'm just beginning to understand old henry david thoreau after all.
I love your blog! I am officially a follower. Really like the message of this post- very important stuff.
ReplyDelete