A Man For All Seasons

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In the weeks before spring becomes summer, as the heat rises and ripened fruit weighs down the branches, young bodies grow eager for all the world has to offer while older ones are slowed by the sun and seek refuge in shade and cool drinks. The playful child in me wants to run the riverbank, raft down the rapids with a group of merrymakers, while this aging body wants to rest in an air cooled room and shoot the breeze with retired fellows. I still have a foot in both worlds: one youthful -- playful, bright, and vibrant; another ancient — wise, dark, and rooted. I strive for a pace that bridges the seasons, keeping the spring in my onward step while feeling the fall of my foot to ground; summering my spirit for the harvest and wintering my wisdom for the next level of my life.

I have always been a lover of transitions when the door of possibility widens and when life and death are true partners in the folk dance, arm hooking arm as they doe-si-doe to the call of fortune. I strive to set my pace to this call, to hook my arm in turn with youth and age and welcome both life and death into my heart. I am coming to understand what it means to be a man for all seasons, what it takes to be living the whole of my life at once. Here, in the blessing of this between, I offer my prayer to the full moon, angled to catch the light of a hidden sun, because it remains complete in itself regardless of its wax and wane, whether full or new, whether seen or unseen by my naked eye.

This letter to my future Self was written on October 16, 2016 to be read on June 9, 2017. I have been struggling with my aging body recently: issues with knee and back pain and a broken arm while traveling in Japan. To read other Letters to Future Self, click the tag below.

I have had lots of struggles with my body recently--back and knee pain  and I broke my arm while traveling in Japan. It is now in brace.  I work through it as best I can, striving to feel young while growing old...and this letter is a reminder that I can be complete no matter what the circumstances....

What keeps you intact despite the challenges of life? 

© Nick LeForce
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