Aging with Grace

To be nobody but yourself in a world doing its best to make you everbody else means to fight the hardest battle any human can ever fight and never stop fighting.

E. E. Cummings

The large window in the front of our condo looks out unto a school and park.  There is a big, grassy area where the kids play. It’s nice to see them outside, having a good time. Right now, with the challenges of the pandemic, they spend a lot of time outdoors. School can be rough and I hope that they are happy and have friends to be with.

Writing and reading seem to go side by side and I do a lot of reading. Our bookclub book for January is, This Is How It Always Is, by  Laurie Frankel. The story is about a five year old boy, just starting kindergarten, who likes to wear dresses and dreams of being a princess. Although, he is part of a large family, with four brothers, he has no friends. I’ve just started this book and it tears at my heart. Being different is hard. Being different and alone makes it more difficult

Starting when we are children and continuing as we become adults, many of us don’t do well with different. We are more comfortable with people that look like us and share our views. As our universe becomes increasingly diverse, we become more mistrustful and suspicious. As the world grows bigger, we grow smaller.