Aging with Grace

The older I become the more I dream of a world where I don’t need so much armor.

J.M. Storm

This solarium is one of my favorite places in the Botanic Gardens. Amazingly, it struggled to find a home. In the late 1990s, Euro Disney commissioned eight solariums, including this one, from a company in England. For unknown reasons they were never used and in 2012 this solarium was donated by Disney to the Gardens. I enjoy sitting  here with a book on a warm summer day and I am transported to an English garden. I imagine Queen Elizabeth stopping by as she goes for a stroll.

It was with great sadness that I watched the Queen sitting In St George’s Chapel during the funeral of her husband Prince Philip. Through her later years as Monarch she has appeared formidable.  Impervious to age, she stood firm. I was not prepared for the fragile, elderly lady I saw sitting alone that afternoon. Looking back, I don’t know why I was surprised. She was, after all, just another person with the same frailties as the rest of us. 

We all have vulnerabilities which become more apparent as we age. It doesn’t do any good to deny them. They don’t define us, they are just one part of who we are. We can choose to move forward with grace.