My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man:
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die
- William Wordsworth, 1770-1850
This small poem is just a figure of speech. We haven’t seen a rainbow in quite a while.
Years ago, on a Jerry Seinfeld TV program, George Costanza’s father, Frank, expounded a wonderful expression, “serenity, now!” I no longer remember the circumstance of the TV program, but the words remain. And, I love that phrase.
In September, I became 77 years old. Yet, every day I awake and feel the expanding urge to yell, “serenity, now!” I can’t believe this wonderful feeling of excitement. Why is life so great? How can I describe it other than “serenity, now.”
Of course, I discount the fact that I can hardly get up if seated for a while.
In 2003, we moved to Morgan Hill from the beach at Aptos. Since then, we, rather my wife, has been remodeling our then 15-year-old home, now 19 years old. Yet, each day, I awake, look at the hills and mountains on each side of our valley and give thanks to God. But, Joanne keeps remodeling. Oh, she thinks that this is “serenity, now.”
OK, let’s face it. I might be going bankrupt, if she continues. And, I might not be able to walk very far. And, in fact, when shopping at the grocery store, I lean on the cart throughout our grocery shopping.
Yet, let’s talk about serenity.
Is it possible that wisdom has overtaken me? Does this euphoria come with my ancient age?
My 7-year-old granddaughter, Ashley, keeps wanting me to run after her in tag. To play hide and seek with her. My grandson, Ainsley, 5, wants me to get down on the floor and play cars. But, I can’t do those gymnastic things anymore.
During my life, I have not been an optimist, yet not really a pessimist. If times were good, I just expected that my fortunes would change. And, problems always arose.
I was a skeptical pragmatist or, perhaps, a repressed fatalist. If times were good; they were just bound to change. Something would happen. Life was just not a bed of roses.
But, today in my “old age,” I cannot believe my good fortune. I no longer expect adversity to come. I am upbeat. Well, most of the time.
In my past articles, I have written of our cabin in the desert at 29 Palms, California. There, what used to be a cabin is now a remodeled small home. And, here also is my wife’s and my “serenity, now.”
But, oh my God! In late June, it was 110 degrees and we couldn’t take it and rushed to Pismo Beach, then home.
At our desert place, Joanne, and I wake up in the morning. We look to the east and watch the sun come up. We look to the west and watch the moon go down. Then, we contemplate whether to rake the sand or to water the rocks. Nothing of importance, you understand.
Of course, this is during the winter or spring. Certainly, not summer. Nevertheless, I let her do all the physical stuff.Â
So, I relish my “Burt’s Bits” columns in the Morgan Hill Times. Now, after writing about 39 articles that I am sure you have read on the op-ed page of the newspaper, I continue.
In fact, you must remember my family’s last summer’s trip to our property in the wilderness of Oregon, or my granddaughter’s love of the cats at “the Pot Farm,” Garden Accents, or my “snoring” episodes.
Life is strange. Life is fascinating. Life can be exciting.
Or, if driving for a long distance and time, I can hardly get out of the car.
At 77 years, I believe that I have found that special place in life called, “serenity, now,” or … maybe not.
Burton Anderson, a U.S. Marine veteran of the Korean War, has lived in California for about 50 years. He has a background in aerospace industry. He can be reached at ba****@*ol.com.
