On aging

It's unusual for me to do a blog in the evening.  But our walk late this afternoon got me thinking.  As we rounded the corner and headed up the block we encountered a woman coming home from work.  She smiled and delighted in both girls.  Of course, she asked about Murphy, and when I told her she was almost fifteen the woman complimented Murph and me.  

Now, those of you who know me well, in other words, the folks who have to listen to my rants, know I am not a person who believes in polarities.  There is, in my opinion, no red state/blue state.  People are not either/or (this is why I could never be a marketer, I simply don't believe people fit into niches.  I mean, I may be an early adopter in some things but slow to accept others).  We are nuanced.  Subtle in our perspectives.  But, when it comes to age I think my animosity to polarity is wrong.  People are either great about aging or are frightened of it.  

For instance: there are people, many who do not talk to me, who see me walking with Murphy and I can tell, freak out.  In some sense I think they see us and believe Murphy is in pain and I should rush her to the vet, euthanize her, and be done with it.  Then there are folks, like the woman today, who sees Murphy and knows she is not ready, that she is beautiful, albeit slow and arthritic, but not ready.  We engaged in a wonderful conversation about old dogs we have known and loved, how great it is to be loved by dogs, and what a delight to have pups who have that desire to live.

And you know, it's a lot like life, ya' think?  We are on the precipice of electing a whole new generation of "leaders."  No matter what you feel about the candidates, none of them have been with this current administration or the Clinton presidency.  It's a new generation.  And I delight in that fact. 

On the other hand, it seems to me (and I am perhaps a bit defensive here since I am well into middle age, or beyond the middle of middle age), that in the past few years we, as a culture, have thrown out the value of "wisdom" that is gained with having lived life.  Knowing the difference between blogging and twitter is more important than experience gained over time.  Being able to write code, knowing how to deal with HTML, conceiving some new social networking site, or creating a new derivative, bundling mortgages into securities and then thinking about credit default swaps were valued skills.  The "old school" ways of building community, of monitoring debt, of communicating were devalued, debased, demeaned.  

Perhaps one thing this current financial and economic debacle will teach us, again, is that wisdom from life is also a value.  As we all know, current politics is making an issue over experience.  But I am not saying either candidate is more experienced or ready to become President.  Those who have indulged me in my "DC Rants" know that I think most, if not all, DC based politicians don't really have a clue how the rest of us live (I can say this having once worked for a Congressman in DC).  My discussion on aging is more global, heck, more universal.

Bringing it back to Murphy...she has an elegance and demeanor only age can bestow.  Her defenses are down, she doesn't need to leap into a surging Big Wood River to chase a tennis ball faster than all the boy dogs, she doesn't need to get to the top of Red Mountain before anyone else, and she doesn't need to even walk fast or steady.  She has a grace and beauty that only miles of  life can give.  And if we needed a sense of what to do in a rapidly changing world, if we needed a compass to guide us, you know, Murphy, or anyone else with all that life inside of them, are good choices.  

This is the time, this chaotic time, when I miss my Dad, when I miss being able to talk to him early in the morning, get a sense of how he sees the world, how I should respond.  But, I have Murphy.  And her age is something to celebrate, something to share, something to not turn away from but rather, in the current vernacular, embrace.  If only we could let Murphy deal with the financial meltdown and the economic mess.  I am sure we all could use her wisdom (although it might have something to do with hiding pig's ears underneath a mattress).

Murphy's evening.