Sunday 9 January 2022

Pushing the boulder.

 Lots of interesting stuff in Saturday's Times magazine yesterday.   Plenty of food for thought.   But the article I have chosen is one about getting old.   Getting old means 'Pushing a Boulder up a hill' - it gets harder and harder to do and eventually we give up and as soon as we give in and step aside the boulder rolls away down the hill  and we can never catch it again.   I thought it a perfect description - some days that boulder takes some holding where it is, let alone pushing it uphill.   But it is still important to me to keep trying.   Something to do with still enjoying life I think.   And one of the major things that makes me still enjoy life is this very thing - still being in constant touch with all of you around the world.

For example I spoke in my post a couple of days ago about the Eskimo and I called him an Inuit.   Rachel queried this and asked why I had used this word and mentioned Red (Hiawathas House) who had taught up there in the far North.      She suggested I asked him so I did and got an immediate interesting reply.   Next to being in the same room as him this has got to be the next best thing don't you think?

When we look at photographs of ourselves when we were young we can still recognise vestiges of ourselves - in my case my fringe - I have always had a fringe of some kind throughout my life - I would be lost without it.   This is often not true when we look at photographs of others.   A friend mentioned the other day looking at a photograph of the yound John Wayne and as he was as an old man - she couldn't see the young man in the old face.

Had he had it 'doctored'?   Quite likely I guess or maybe not - maybe content to develop into the rugged look.   Because it is the face we look at first isn't it?   Coco  Chanel said , Nature gives you the face you have at twenty but at 50 you have the face you deserve.

So as we push the boulder up the hill, do we just carry on regardless or do we also try to keep up appearances, do we dress with care, try to some extent to keep up with fashion trends or do we just collapse in a slough of despond and 'wear the bottom of our trousers rolled' as Jenny Joseph famously said?

 

31 comments:

JayCee said...

I agree with you that we do need to continue to enjoy life, whatever it may throw at us. Communicating with interesting people around the world via these blogs is definitely one way that I enjoy my life too.
With regards to letting appearances slip, I can no longer be bothered to put on my face each time I step outside, to the shops or post office for example. Once upon a time I would never go out without at least some make up but now I only bother for special occasions, and there are not so many of those any more. I have saved a fortune on cosmetics!

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

This was an interesting post, Weaver. Good analogy with the boulder (as in Sisyphus). I think I take less time with my appearance now than when I was younger, but that has to do with circumstance - no longer working and now only half my face shows when wearing a mask when I do go out somewhere. I'm not a big fan of altering your looks with plastic surgery as you age. There are some celebrities who are almost unrecognizable due to the work they have had done. -Jenn

Tasker Dunham said...

I was hoping to get my boulder to the top one day. I'm not giving up yet.

Debby said...

I suppose that I am not 'stylish', in the strict sense of the word. I wear comfortable shoes, but nice ones. I favor jeans and comfy sweaters. I have a good hair cut and I almost always wear earrings. Make-up? When I'm going out, or meeting up with people. I like to think that I look kempt. That's the best I can hope for I guess.

Librarian said...

You know how much I admire you for how you keep up your activities as much as you can, and are determined to look after yourself and your house and garden. I fervently hope that with age, I will be able to maintain my mobility and enjoy walking for many years. In March I will be 54.

Rachel Phillips said...

I don't know what this post was all about but let it be known that I would not step outside my house without my makeup on.

Ellen D. said...

I don't bother with appearances too much anymore. I would rather be comfy so I do wear a lot of sweatshirts with sweatpants. I try to stay active - walking or exercycling along with virtual exercise classes. I want to stay healthy as long as I can. I read a lot and I always enjoy socializing on the blogs I follow.

Fifitr said...

I believe John Wayne went under the knife a couple of times in an attempt to retain his looks into old age - he didn't really become famous until his middle years and I imagine the studio he was signed to was keen to make the most of his appeal for as long as possible. Like so many of us I've aged into my face and am much less conscious of what I look like now. How I preened and fussed as a teenager! I slathered myself with makeup before I went out even to the corner shop for a pint of milk, and I was constantly curling and styling my hair. Now I have a smart, sensible cut that requires nothing more than a shake to style and don't even wash my face anymore although I do like a streak of bright lipstick - at the gym they call me the lipstick lady!

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Interesting post
Along the thinking...Glaciers leave boulders behind. I prefer to sit on them. I enjoy the view as always me in my heart. How I feel tops how I look.

Susan said...

Maintaining a good appearance and being fit and trim is important for good health and general well being. I do my best and I'm sure you do as well.

John Going Gently said...

I’m trying to dress better

For myself

The Weaver of Grass said...

I have not worn make up once since I finished at work thirty years ago = don't have any now. I sometimes think of buying perfume - Chanel 5 or maybe something like Je Reviens if you can still buy it - but then change my mind.

Melinda from Ontario said...

I think this post is very timely. So many of my friends and female relatives have discussed the freedom they've discovered in being able to skip hair and make-up routines now that they're working from home, or like myself, retired. We've all wondered if our slightly disheveled hair, make-up free faces, and baggy pants are a sign our advancing ages are making us care less about our appearance. Or, could it be we're just enjoying a small upside resulting from Covid enforced isolation? I know I'll wear make-up, fuss with my hair, and wear body hugging clothes again one day. I'm relieved, however, future primping and fussing will be reserved for special occasions only.

Cheryl Seaman said...

At home I don't really care how I look - I'm clean as are my clothes so that is it. Mostly doing gardening this time of year which demands a shower once I am done. If I'm going to town, I wear nicer clothes and sometimes a light slick of makeup. If I'm just going to the grocery store, I will be wearing a mask so don't bother with the makeup. I want to feel good about myself and how I present myself is part of that. If we don't try to enjoy what each day offers - what is the point of being here!?

Minigranny said...

I agree about keeping the boulder pushed up, difficult at times but still worth it. I loved Je Reviens !

Bonnie said...

This is an interesting post, Pat. I know when there are times that I stop pushing that boulder I fall back much more than I did when I was younger! We really do have to keep trying with that boulder.
I dress very casually and don't wear makeup around the house but when I go out I try to dress a bit nicer and wear a little makeup. When I was still working I colored the gray in my hair but I have not colored it once since I retired and I am happy with it. I also enjoy the interesting conversations we have when visiting you!

flis said...

Years ago I worked on a cosmetic counter and Je Revien was very popular-Chanel no 5 and Miss Dior too-my favourite at the time was Madamme Rochas-luckily I got staff discount x

the veg artist said...

I've never really been a make-up person, apart from lipstick occasionally. I do like perfume though. Chanel No 19 is the favourite, but I do swap to something warmer in the autumn. My daily treat.
As far as clothes go, I'm just grateful that I've never had to wear a dress or skirt since giving up work 25yrs ago.

Chris said...

"Inuit" is what the people call themselves. "Eskimo" was the name the colonizers gave them. To them it is a derogatory term.

Anonymous said...

I'd be lost without my lipstick. I looked washed out without it. -Pam.

Joanne Noragon said...

It certainly is hard work, getting old.

Red said...

as we are all individuals, we age in our own way. Some people can accept their own end and go about living and enjoying themselves. Sometimes we have to work hard at it like that boulder. Sometimes people concentrate too much on the boulder.

Anonymous said...

I think you are marvellous, dear Weaver. You have such a positive outlook, and you do so much in a day, despite your mobility limitations.

May I weigh in on the "Eskimo vs Inuit" thing? This is what I found on the good old internet:

"Generally, in Canada the term Eskimo should be considered offensive and the term Inuit is preferred. ... The term Eskimo has largely been replaced by Inuit in Canada, and Inuit is used officially by the Canadian government. Many Inuit people consider Eskimo to be a derogatory term."

Peggy

thelma said...

Haven't worn makeup for many years - there is a problem with glasses;) The face I see staring back at me in the mirror, is still mine, the hair, as always untidy because its fine but I'm happy with it. The boulder is becoming heavier perhaps but positive attitudes help push it up its hill.

Derek Faulkner said...

Apparently the word Eskimo means "raw meat eater" which I understand was part of the Eskimo diet if not now but certainly was.
I guess it's another word that has been added to the ever lengthening list of words that are now considered derogatory for various reasons.
For around a hundred odd years us Brits were called "Limeys" by the Americans, New Zelanders and Aussies due to our habit of adding lime juice to sailors rum ration, in order to combat scurvy. I wonder if we need to create a fuss about any potential use of that word.

Northriding said...

I think there are days when the boulder is lighter than usual and others when it seems intolerable.

The love song of J Alfred Prufrock by T S Eliot was where your quote came from. I've always loved it

I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Sue said...

I rarely wear make up these days and even when I did it was merely a touch of clear mascara and perhaps a light moisturiser/foundation. I love the feeling of fresh clean skin and since I stopped wearing makeup/gotten older my skin has improved so much.

The best you'll get from me is clean jeans and jumper, but my hair is always washed every day, I don't feel clean unless my hair has been washed.

I think you are coping really well with your boulder, mine nearly got away from me but literally over the last couple of days I have managed to get it under control again. So now it's time for me to begin that upwards push again.

The Feminine Energy said...

Yep, I try to carry on the illusion, dear Weaver. Smoke & mirrors.... smoke & mirrors! :-) ~Andrea xoxoxo

The Weaver of Grass said...



Thanks everyone. It seems that on the whole we are all pulling (or pushing) together with those boulders! Let's keep it up.

donna baker said...

Hi Pat, As always you are an inspiration. A ray of sunshine. The boulder is getting heavy. I'm happy not to fall. I am not going gently... The words aren't coming and it seems I am at the doctor all of the time. I don't dress like a slob when I go out but certainly don't try too hard. Onward and upward.

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