Good morning! Welcome to "Morning Musings".

Musings: to meditate, think, contemplate, deliberate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, reverie, daydream, introspection, dream, preoccupation, brood, cogitate.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

More or Less - November 2016

I've been thinking more about the past lately because I'm realizing I have more time behind me and less time ahead of me.  Today is the 50th anniversary of when my husband and I first laid eyes on each other.  I was 16 and he was 20. I had no idea that day he'd ask me out later in the week and that I'd fall in love with him.  Seven months later I moved out of state with my parents.  We almost didn't meet.  This got me to thinking about my Hungarian grandparents and how they met.  This was their wedding day in 1920. . . .
He'd emigrated to America in 1906.  Her parents had come in the 1890's.  In 1917 he was on his way to fight in WWI in the Cavalry, but the war ended before he got there or else he may never have gotten back home.  In 1920 she was 17 and he was 34.  I gaze into her eyes and know what awaits her, but on her wedding day she does not know my mother would be born 9 ½ months later, that she'd have a second daughter and two sons and that the second daughter would die from diphtheria at age 6.  She didn't know then that a depression would force her husband to stand in bread lines and that in 1931 he'd disappear for three days when the twin daughters were born because he now had five children to feed, nor that he would die from black lung disease when the twins were 10.   My grandmother eventually remarried, but only after her children had all grown and had lives of their own.  The last 22 years of her life she was once again a widow after my step-grandfather died in 1966.

We so often believe, especially when we are young, that we are in charge of our destiny.  To a certain extent, we can choose our careers, who we want to marry, where we want to live.  But there is much in life that can affect our choices--the Great Depression and wars, for instance, and other circumstances beyond our control.  And when you are young you don't have the wisdom that comes with life's experiences.  It's very easy to look back now and wish I'd done a few things differently.  In the end, however, I do feel I did the best I could with the information I had at hand.

My parents and grandparents never sat me down and tried to impart their wisdom to me.  Whatever I learned I learned from observing them and what I learned is that I wanted a different kind of life than they had.  I wonder if that's what happens with every generation.  Even if they'd tried to talk to me I may not have listened for I really thought I knew what was best for me.  Youth!

No matter how old you are NOW you probably still have some time left to do SOMETHING that you wish you'd done sooner.  It may be to live in a different part of the country, visit a foreign country, learn another language, or something as simple as to start writing in a daily journal, take up a hobby, or start a daily exercise routine.  Or it could be something rather grand like the 99-year-old woman who got a college degree!  There is a website called Late Bloomer where you can read about people who switched careers or started learning a new skill late in life.  Check out Debra Eve's website to see what a person can do if they have a passion.

So my question to you this month is this:   Is there something you've always wanted to do but think is too late to do?  Why don't you tell us so we can encourage you to give it a try anyway.  You may have to modify it a bit--for instance if you never had children or grandchildren and wish you had, perhaps you can "borrow" some children in your extended family to take under your wing and nurture.  And if  you have less money than you need, there's always Kickstarter.  It's time to quit making excuses!  You may have more to say in your destiny than you realize.....

P.S. Here is the rest of my grandparents' wedding photo. . . .

.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•
Take Joy!

21 comments:

  1. This is a hard one to answer, I would have to think on it awhile. I have no doubt there's some adventure left in me! Meanwhile, I loved the photo and the story. What a beautiful couple and lovely bridal outfit. I feel like these old photos, especially of this vintage that were so clear (before the brownie camera which my mom used so much) have so much to say about the character of the people and details of life back then. Such hardship most of them lived through. It's hard for us to identify with it. I will have to check out your links. I just learned of Kickstarter last week (!) when a young friend followed her dreams to create a planner (all the young moms are very into planners) and is selling it via kickstarter. Well at least you have me thinking on this now! We finally have cooler weather and it feels like fall should and I am amazed at how much more energy I have without the heat! It's been a long, long summer.

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    1. Don't you love the little boy in front. I think that is one of my grandmother's little brothers. She was the oldest of 11--7 boys (who all were in WWII and all came home!) and 4 girls. You have to report back if you come up with something. And yes, this cooler weather is SO refreshing! I've added the whole wedding photo to the end of this post.

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  2. Cathy, you ask hard questions. Yes, I'm well aware that I've lived more behind me than what will come. What I try desperately to do is live each day to the fullest. When my sister died at 57 I learned a very valuable lesson on that one. Now that autumn is here and winter behind it, my focus turns more inward.
    How nice the wedding photo is of your grandparents! What a grand affair they had. Both of my grandparent's and my parent's weddings were held in the minister's parlor. Fate certainly takes its twists and turns in our lives. It's just amazing when I think about that. ♥

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    1. I agree about fate. There were two houses we tried to buy before we bought this one, but the deals fell through. I often think about how different our lives would have been if we'd gotten one of those either houses. I'm very glad, though, that we ended up HERE!

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  3. Interesting post, Cathy. Like you, I look back and wish I had done a few things differently. I've also come to the same conclusion as you. I did the best I could at the time given the circumstances and the information I had at that point. As for your question, I need to think on it for a bit. I have always wanted to learn a foreign language, but now that I'm turning 60 and I just never seem to get around to applying myself to that task I think it might be time to give up on that one. Maybe that's also a part of being older - knowing when it's time to let go and move on. I've kicked myself enough about not being bilingual, and I think it's time to stop.

    Thanks for sharing the story about your grandparents. It's hard to imagine dealing with diphtheria, bread lines and black lung disease. And I'm sure it would be every bit as hard for your grandparents to imagine some of the things we deal with now.

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    1. Yes, each generation has their own challenges and as they say if everyone's troubles were put into a basket and we were told to take out what we wanted we'd probably choose our own. But I'm sure I'd raise my hand and first ask "Do I have to take ANY out?" There was a time, however, I'd root around in the basket and take some troubles out besides my own. I'm finally realizing I don't have to take on other people's problems as my own. I can care about them without making it MY problem.

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  4. Such a beautiful photo of a your Grandparents wedding. I am going to have to ponder your question for awhile, I certainly don't have an answer that automatically springs to mind. There are a few more craft skills that I would like to learn but no classes are available locally.

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    1. Do you know about Craftsy.com? They have all sorts of classes on-line and often offer them at half-price. Also, YouTube.com has lots of free tutorials on various crafts. And there may be other resources also. Just "google" it and see what pops up!

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  5. A thought provoking entry. This is the second time in 12 hours that this message has come to me. The other time was in a phrase shared on Twitter by way of another blogger "It may be later than you think, but it is never too late ~~~"
    I have given up much in the last 10 years to care for elderly parents, and at times have felt that life is now passing me by, but it isn't. I have simply allowed it to, so now I have to find ways to adapt and readjust so that I can do those things I'd really love to do, just maybe not all of them and maybe not how I'd originally planned.
    Time to sit down and make a list and think really hard about not letting more time slip away and not achieving something, no matter how small.

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    1. This is wonderful, Deborah! You have much to offer. Making a list is always helpful because getting organized, in my opinion, allows you to spend your time more efficiently. One of the definitions of efficient is productive. I need to learn to use my 10 minutes here and 5 minutes there practicing my drawing rather than waiting till I have a whole day to myself.

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  6. Great post Cathy! If you don't hear from me every time, my IPad is having major issues and likes to crash in the middle of things. I wrote a response to your Thanksgiving traditions and it crashed! But I am here and I am following along.
    How wonderful to have that photo! It was indeed a grand affair. I guess it is best we don't know what lies ahead. I made so many stupid mistakes as a young person I sometimes think it was only by the grace of God that my life turned out ok! But I learned from it and I so enjoy life now. If I can make it to the end of my working career and have more time in my day for me it would be nice. It will be hard for me to leave my job, I like what I do, but physically it wears on me. So that end is in sight. Hopefully!
    Thanks for a thought provoking post!
    Chris Wells

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    1. Thank you Chris. How much time we have available often influences what we do with it, but when I think about time I've wasted doing things I really didn't really enjoy when I could have been using that half-hour to learn to draw, it makes me realize it's not too late! I have lots more time now so I need to be a better steward of it. But first I had to realize it was really fear that kept me from pursuing drawing. I was afraid I'd find out I couldn't draw. Sometimes that's all it takes--courage to fail--to discover it's not as hard as you think once you get some momentum.

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  7. Great post, Cathy. Like others, it gives me something important to think about. Thanks for the prod. It's the second one to urge me to evaluate the stewardship of my hours.
    I think I can see a resemblance to your Great Grandmother! Amazing photo - do you know if everyone is family or is it a whole village?

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    1. Thank you, Elaine. I'm so glad to be the second one to "send you a message." Deborah above said I was the second one to send HER a message! The couple are my grandparents! The photo was taken in Terre Haute, IN. There was a large Hungarian population there--my grandfather worked in the coal mines just over the state line in Illinois. The people are probably mostly family, but then there would have been a lot of friends, too. I wish I knew who everyone was. I do recognize a couple of my greataunts.

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  8. How lucky are you, Cathy, to have these great photos! My paternal great-grandparents celebrated their Golden Wedding a couple of weeks after I was born in the Summer of 1956. A huge party was held for them by their kids & grandkids [who were all grown up by then] at the beach club about a mile from my parents' home at the time. In fact, my Mom told me that her first "day out" after my birth, the first time she & my Dad left me behind, was to attend this party. One of my paternal great-aunts came down to take care of me. It would be terrific to have photos from any of my grandparents or great-grandparents' weddings now. And what an event yours had! A big beautiful grand party!! Now - is there something I've always wanted to do but now think it's too late? Wow, I have to agree with Martha Ellen. You do toss out some tough questions there sometimes. But that's good because thinking & reflection is always a good thing. Hmmm. For me, it's maybe traveling. When I had the energy and the knees for it, I was either always working and/or didn't have the $$. Living expenses & paying back student loans on a parochial school teacher's salary - not a great mix. As things improved $-wise, it was only because I was working 60+ hours a week to make it happen. So again, not a lot of time. But I can't say it's been anything I could flag as a regret. If I had desperately wanted to travel, I think I would have found a way. I found ways to do other things I wanted to do with limited time or $$. But I love the idea of traveling, have always enjoyed reading travel books, seeing travel TV, videos and now websites. And of course PBS alone was a great gift, and maybe even a great substitute since it allowed me to learn about other places & cultures from the comfort of my own home. And all for the price of a PBS membership [worth every cent every year]. PBS, something else for which we can thank a Democratic Congress. This shameless plug brought to you by Stronger Together, ImWithHer & HillaryforAmerica. Have a great week!! Praying that next week at this time we all have our first female President-elect!! And that Orange Adolf/Cheeto Hitler/The Human Airhorn has been reduced to an oily little orange spot on the sidewalk. LOL. 🇺🇸

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    1. Now settle down Janet. You'll need all that energy to deal with the aftermath of the elections! No matter who wins there are going to be a lot of unhappy, vocal people.

      Did you go to Debra Eve's website, Late Bloomer. You would probably find it very interesting since I know you like to explore the web. She has some very interesting stories about people who start late in life in the particular field.

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    2. Yes, Cathy , I'm definitely going to check out Late Bloomer. I bet there are a lot of excellent stories there that I'll love. And who knows - maybe I'll get inspired. 🍁

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  9. What a wonderful picture of your grandparents your grandmother looks so young! Their life sounded very hard with many challenges. How lovely to celebrate 50 years of you and your husband first meeting. I too have a tendency of taking on other people's problems. Since giving up work it has been such fun getting involved in subjects that I feel passionate about. Sarah x

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    1. She was very young--17 ½! He was 34! I'm so glad you are enjoying your retirement from work. Let the fun begin!

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  10. That was quite a story about your grandparents, what a life! I am sure if we investigated our ancestors lives, we would find that, we have such advantages living in this present time. The only thing I wish I had done at a younger ages, was to travel more.. international travel, that is. There are only a few countries I wish to experience before I am too old.

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    1. As long as you're physically able to get on a plane (and can afford it), it's not too late for International travel, Jeri! Just watch for airline bargains, have your passport up-to-date, and have someone waiting in the wings to care for your menagerie!

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