Swan Song...

Yep, that's me in the tree. Reaching, as always, for the biggest, reddest apple, never satisfied with the ones within easy reach. Maybe that's what best defines my life - that constant reaching and stretching towards something bigger and better. Perhaps this picture is quite symbolic. Oh, I've certainly never really "played in the big leagues" so to speak, never made a fortune, never been famous, but in my own way, I guess, I've stretched to reach my potential, and if I've fallen short, I think it's reflected my dissatisfaction with what I once thought of as worthy goals. As I get older, I tend to value different things than I once may have. I suppose that's true of us all. In my case, I grow more and more critical of society and the paths that it has taken - the awful, mindless consumerism, the lack of awareness about the earth, the desire only for instant gratification, the immorality of a people who would vote yet another jingoistic despot into power - why? Because they, personally, are doing okay even as others struggle to hold onto their homes, feed themselves, and access decent medical care? Even as young men and women - and even greater numbers of civilians - continue to die overseas in meaningless war? Or is it simply racisim, and their inability to imagine themselves as constituents of a black president - and the fact that they'd rather see this country slide right down the tubes into oblivion than owe its survival to someone not of their skin color? Scary. I don't know the answers, but more and more, I feel alienated from all of it - feel more and more like I'm seeing it all from a bird's eye view, and that it just doesn't have all that much to do with me.
About the apple tree. Every fall, we take the granddaughter to the orchards where she and I climb up to collect the topmost apples. She couldn't climb this year because her arm is still healing from a bad break six months or so ago. So, I had to climb for us both. But, I have to admit that it wasn't as lithe and fluid an exercise as it has been in years past. A few trees that I know I would've skinned right up in the past presented some real challenges this time out. And, after we were home and had peeled and cored our twenty pound bag of apples - and created a big tray of apple crisp and four pies, this old lady needed a hot bath and a heating pad on her hip.
I'm a little sad, because despite my three mile walks every day (which include side-steps, knee lifts and kicks) there are still parts of my body that are apparently stiffening up, and getting downright stubborn about what they're willing to do. I'm afraid that this past weekend's tree climbing represented my swan song; my tree-climbing days have about come to an end.
More change.
Naturally.