Lyrics: Oh, it’s a long long while/from May to December/But the days grow short/When you reach September.
I want to welcome back the Muse who was on vacation in August. She’s reminding me of a shift that took place this summer while I was out smelling the roses.
According to the model of Life as a Cycle of One Year, found in the book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing, (Schachter-Shalomi and Miller), my June birthday propelled me into the next and last stage of the cycle, December. It’s a new beginning, the beginning of the rest of my life that includes the end of my life. Life, after all, is terminal. It remains to be know how long-lasting will be the last stage. Now that I’m aware, I’m noticing a shift in my thinking. I no longer think long-term.
Perhaps that’s what my classmate was thinking when he announced at our 60th high school reunion that this was our last reunion. We have had seven reunions and he and his late wife chaired them all. He’s allowed to retire with our gratitude. The 60th was a high point. For some it was their first reunion, the first time to meet with classmates they hadn’t seen for sixty years. Name tags were mandatory for identification. We remembered our classmates who have made their transition and those who were not physically able to be with us. We sang the high school fight song. The room was filled with happy chatter and engaging smiles.
The whole class has now entered the last stage of the life cycle or will by the end of this year so it’s a collective shift. “Last” seems to be a defining word for this last stage of the life cycle. Was this our last time to be together, the class of ’56?
This month my dear friend was admitted to Hospice. We met in 8th grade in the alphabetized study hall; I was a “W” and she was a “Y.” She elected not to undergo further treatment that would have either prolonged her life for an undetermined time or prolonged her death, depending on your perspective. In either case, she determined that it would not provide quality to her remaining days. I’m able to provide her with Healing Touch treatments that comfort and relax her, and we share memories, laughing at our young-self antics. She enjoyed looking at pictures of her classmates taken at the reunion, a happy distraction from her encroaching final days.
Each stage of the Life Cycle has a task. The task of December is “Finding Ones; Place in the Universe.” How would you interpret that task?
Lyrics: Oh, the days dwindle down/To a precious few/September, November . . . . . . and shall we add, December. (September Song composer, Kurt Weill, and lyricist, Maxwell Anderson.)
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