2/21/2022 0 Comments “Don’t Let The Old Man In”The title of this blog comes from a recent song/video by Clint Eastwood and Toby Keith. I suggest you click here and enjoy this first and set the mood for this blog. My interpretation of the song is quite simple. Now is the only time I have. Don’t waste it. I turn 75 in two weeks. The last five years have been the most fulfilling years of my life. At 70, an older, wiser friend told me that I was in the “sweet spot.” I still had all my marbles (ok, most of them), good health, and a very adventurous spirit. All gifts. I set a series of intentions and goals, many of which have come to pass and are still ongoing My blog adventure organically emerged from these intentions during the pandemic. It has also connected me to old and new friends. Goodness and Service Projects- I chose to align myself through volunteering and financial support with a number of goodness/service groups. I find that the people involved in these groups are a joy to work with. Catherine and I do most of this together. The groups include: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary • The Trustees of Reservations • Essex County Trail Association •, Massachusetts Animal Fund •, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary • Ipswich Humane Group • North Shore Community Mediation Center •, Empower Success Corps •, LaSalette Faith Community •, Ipswich Men’s Book Club •, Ipswich Open Space Committee • and Ipswich Board of Assessors. Since none of my commitments are “full-time”, it is possible to find ways to be helpful without getting overwhelmed. Travel – We took three trips to Poland, and studied basic Polish every Saturday morning for 2 years to prepare for them. We had a memorable adventure in the Peruvian Amazon with Liz and her cohorts, swimming in the Amazon and living in a local indigenous community. Costa Rica – We spent a week studying and exploring in the cloud forest. Belize – We swam, with a guide, into an underground cave, eventually coming out four hours later! We took multiple west coast trips to Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco visiting family and friends. Body and Physical Work – Four triathlons (sprint) •, Six 5K road races •, One 5-mile road race • Yoga • Physical work at our “farm” through all four seasons •, Swimming in the ocean •, Running on the beach and through the woods •, Bicycle riding •, Regular exercise •, Fixing things in the barn, garage, and fences •. Painting the outside of our house, barn, garage, and chicken coop, and cleaning all the house windows (there are many) both inside and out with Catherine. Accompanying Activities Therapeutic Dog Massage - I continued to practice dog massage mostly with older dogs. I have had the opportunity and privilege of accompanying many dogs and their owners as they all eventually cross the rainbow bridge. Mediation – I accompanied many parties in person and for the past two years on zoom. This included small claims court, divorce, juvenile, elder, and animal cases. My Daily Life with Catherine, without a doubt, has been the best part of the last five years. Our partnership is natural, unforced, and intricately connected. We support each other in morning and nightly chores and routines with all the animals, including four dogs, horses, chickens, ducks, a rooster, wild turkeys, deer, owls, hawks, and wild birds. We read to each other daily (of course, surrounded by our dogs). Food – We planned, shopped, cooked, and ate delicious vegetarian meals together. Just hanging out with her and our animal family has been a daily gift. Although there are many wonderful individual stories within all the above adventures, looking at the whole picture offers a wider dimension of why these past five years have been so good. THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE - As I was pondering my “what’s next” and working on my goals and intentions, Catherine’s ’s acupuncturist recommended a local, highly experienced Alexander Technique teacher. For those unfamiliar with this technique, it is a way towards balance and alignment of the body with minimal intervention. One of my long-time wishes was to have a more balanced and easy relationship with my body. My habitual posture has been somewhat skewed since I was young. Try as I might with many varying attempts, one shoulder was higher than the other. I thought this was a permanent feature. At our first Alexander technique session, the teacher simply and gently invited my muscles to lengthen and widen with almost imperceptible assistance. The usual tensions and holding gave way and my breathing deepened on its own. New feelings arose, and a deep sense of hope that even at 75, change of long-established habits was still possible. To my happy shock, when I looked at the mirror at the end of the first lesson, without any forcing whatsoever, my shoulders were at the same height. And thus, my intention and hope for the next sequence of my life is to bring to all my many activities the quality of awareness that was released in this session. This would mean a deeper connection with myself and everything going on around me. I can think of no more beautiful birthday present. HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY!
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David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |