Day 132: Three Days From Fifty & Writing Life's Lessons

The big day is now only 72 hours away. And, because I am going to celebrate it by visiting my favorite city, San Francisco, I have been busily getting caught up with my work. Okay, as caught up as I can, when there's photo gathering and caption writing for a book to finish; a senior garden program to plan; assorted garden classes and workshops to plan; and my other "regular" work.

Speaking of which, I did manage to write my Care2 Healthy & Green Living column, which goes live each Monday. And, since Monday happens to be the big 5-0, I wrote about some life's lessons I have learned the green way.

While my good friend Pablo would like me to write all about the fact that I am now joining the AARP-eligible set, I decided to go in another direction. Maybe you can write about it yourself Pablo since you have more experience being in this exclusive club than I do.

But again I digress (I am sure you will say that is proof that I actually do belong in AARP). So, what are these big, green, life lessons? Well, I can't give them all away here, I need people to actually go to Care2 and click on my posts, it earns me more money.

But, one of them is tread lightly. 

This quote by William Butler Yeats sums it up well for me

 And, here's what I wrote about it: 

Tread lightly. This expression is used to remind people to enjoy the outdoors responsibly by minimizing their impact to the environment. People are encouraged to do this is by respecting the rights of others and by avoiding sensitive or protected areas.

If you think about it, this lesson is even more powerful if we apply it to the people in our lives, so that we minimize our negative impact on them. As I have learned, this is one of the hardest lessons to learn. While we might think we know what is best for others, and even think we come from a place of caring, it is not our place to tell others how to live. Just as we are encouraged not to spook animals by keeping our distance, by literally “treading lightly,” we also need to proceed with caution with our loved ones, and respect their rights, especially when it comes to their sensitive areas.  

As I also write in the post, while there are days when I feel like I haven't learned anything, there are other days that remind me that I have, and often I learn things the hard way. I know that's how I learned this one, and not just from being the one who forgets to tread lightly. But, by being the one who has been spooked by others treading too heavily on my dreams.