holding back the years
July 13th, 2006
Monday was my birthday. I was 39. I never used to believe the grown-ups around me, when the said that the older you get the faster time passes, but, the older I get, the faster time seems to pass.
I’m still not convinced it has to though. Somewhere are the long lazy summers of my childhood, or the endless afternoons playing in my room, I just need to find them again. Interestingly, Monday felt like a slow and relaxed day, in part because it was an out of the ordinary day (and out of the ordinary days do tend to feel more real, slower with more to notice in them) and in part because I was drinking bucks fizzes at lunchtime. I did a lot of sitting around chatting (and eating and drinking) and didn’t have anything pressing that had to be done. It was a good day. I want to have more like it.
This week I’ve made sure I’ve taken time to sit and think. I’ve taken myself off to My Favourite Cafe and ordered long cool iced lattes and sat and slowly drunk them. I make sure I have a book in my bag and I force myself to read a few pages even if I feel I should be rushing off to do something “useful” instead. Yesterday I sat on the seafront and slowed myself down by making some bad drawings. These things help, but I need to practice more. 39 seems to have arrived VERY quickly, it would be lovely if 40 took its time…
PS Thank you so much to the mystery person who sent me a lovely birthday gift. I’ve been enjoying it with my lattes.
July 13th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Time definitely does speed up significantly throughout our 30s. And that certainly is a lovely birthday gift. I hope I’m not giving anything away when I tell you that the dress rehearsal is absolutely spot on. I’m getting very excited about .this
(I’ve just previewed and seen that the link won’t appear but hopefully you can see it and can check out the Moomin comics in English published by Drawn & Quarterly this autumn - woot!)
July 13th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Hi there Michael, I found your blog when looking for info about South Wales before we move there; just a thought about CFS /ME as you are ‘recovering’ but still eat wheat etc - I found I was allergic to ALL GRAINS! - not just gluten or wheat - and changed my diet really EASILY and HEALTHILY to avoid these AND MY ENERGY LEVELS SHOT UP….NOW FEEL I’M 36 - NOT 57 (which is the age my birth certificate says!!!) This meant I had spent 54 years feeling old, and now actually look forty! My skin is less lined than when I was 45!!!! I resisted the possibility that I had this allergy until three years ago when a ‘lovely’ homemade ‘wholesome’ bread turned me literally overnight into an apparent rheumatoid and osteo arthritic too ill with muscle and joint pains to walk - told I would have to live on steroids! I refused and stopped poisoning my poor body with ‘rabbit food’. Wheat etc in food is a huge commercial con trick - we are not meant to eat grasses!!
I also used to have panic attacks and they stopped completely, and I discovered wheat allergy can trigger these too. Don’t be conned by the wheat producers - or the ‘healthy wholegrain foods’ brigade - for some people it is poison! What would you be capable of if your body felt filled with Joy in every cell?? good luck anyway!
July 13th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
Ah, 39. I remember it well. Seven years ago now that was. Live just gets richer the less we focus on age. My Mom, has been the best example of this. At 75 she is one of the youngest souls I know.
Happy HAPPY B’day to you
::thrive!
Owen
art - onionboy.ca
words - smithereens.blogsome.com
July 13th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Happy Birthday! My goodness, I’m also going to be turning 39 next month
Lovely sketch. I like the wavy lines of the glass and the gradient you used. Makes me think of heat, melting and summertime condensation.
July 17th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Hi Michael,
Glad you had a good birthday. I did send you a belated happy birthyday e-mail but not sure if I used the correct address, so thought I’d just say it again incase it missed you, BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I know what you mean about that big 40 creaping up!!!
Take care
love
Tracy
xx