Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom(And Whimsy)

Posted on March 4, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 5 comments

Port Renfrew Beach

(Pete MacDonald photo)

“I wish I was twenty and in love with life and full of beans.”

Self Portrait – Mary Oliver

Where has the time gone?

I reconnected a few weeks ago with someone I met eight years ago. Her father and my mother were both living in a care facility, stripped of dignity as their minds deserted them. We sang songs for our parents, triggering a part of the brain that still fires on all cylinders. Both of our parents have departed, which, in the end, was a blessing.

“Memory: a golden bowl, or a basement without light.” Mary Oliver

As so many of us do these days, we spoke of the passage of time. As she was signing off, she remarked, “Aging is a funny thing and creeps up. We all wonder where time goes and there it is, every day.”

Can you feel it?

I sure can.

There’s someone stalking me.

I feel his presence.

I can almost smell him.

He pursues me relentlessly.

He goes by the name of time.

I’m not one who suffers from the mid-winter blues. Walking every day is my primary antidote along with regular exercise, lots of reading and avoiding the consumption of news.

Having said that, I find lately that feelings of melancholy occur more than I would like. Watching time fly past is a contributor, but the constant barrage of illness and death seems to have me a bit off my game. It seems that just about every family has someone who is dealing with cancer, recovering from cancer, or dying of cancer. Rarely does a week go by when you don’t hear of someone you know who has this dreaded illness.

It is true that the number of deaths seems very high, but I believe that the most likely explanation is that the Baby Boomers have arrived en masse. That, in itself, would skew the numbers in a significant way.

My late brother, Tom, had an expression that always resonated with me as he was dealing with cancer. “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of not living.”

So, what is one to do?

Kick ass.

Pedal to the metal.

If you’re lucky and all your body parts are functioning at an acceptable level, I would humbly suggest that you take every opportunity to make the most of the time that’s available to you. As they say, “Live every day as if it’s your last.”

Sing in the shower.

Dance when no one is looking.

Eat that outrageous dessert.

Travel to that place that you always wanted to visit.

Write a letter to your best friend. Better still, write a letter to yourself.

Take up a new hobby.

Go zip lining.

Jump out of an airplane. Please wear a parachute!

Go and see your favourite band perform.

Eat ice cream at every chance.

Read a great book.

Dig your toes in the sand while sipping a margarita.