I remember hearing about that '37 flood. My grandparents owned a drug store in Paducah, KY. The flood didn't quite reach them, so they were the only pharmacy open for a while there. My mother said one of her first jobs was for a photographer who came to the store wanting to sell postcards from his photos of the flood around town. I don't remember how much she got for selling them. One of those "How did you grow up, Mom?" kind of stories. She lived to 100.
How the U.S. has changed. She told me a million years ago, "If you're good to the company, the company will be good to you." Not any more, Mom. Those days up and left a long time ago.
So now, I'm the "elder" of the family (actually the last one who's left). Haven't lived in the states for almost 40 years. That's fine. I like "eldering" from this side of our tiny planet. Different challenges and different rewards, I guess.
Thanks for your note, Louise, and the story. A time before our communal safety nets ... when we cared enough, mostly, to try to take care of each other. Where on the planet do you now call home?
Well, I don't really post about that in my stack, Social Issues in Song, so there's no particular post to direct you to.
Life here is pretty much the way it is in other places. Through my travels to many places in Europe, the U.S., and Japan, I've found that people are basically very similar. They want a good job, a safe place to live, good health, some want families, and a vacation from time to time.
Other than that, Japan for me over the last 30 years or so has been interesting and "normal", with work, home, friends, things like that. Many, but not all, Japanese values resonate with me. There are serious problems here, as there are in any country. But I am comfortable living here and am staying "until they put my legs in the box" (a Japanese saying).
Anything you'd like to know more about, please ask! :-)
Thanks so much for this post - for Johnny Cash, who wrote a lot about the plight of the poor and various rising waters he saw and its effect on people. There are so much more of them now, and the dams built to hold them back aren't holding. Love how you think in metaphors.
And thanks for Stephen Jenkison and that passage about wrestling angels; made me want to read him. Thanks for your articulate, artistic, poetic, caring, adventurous soul - you bring us all enrichment with your posts. Your thoughts, who you're reading and meeting, what you're seeing in your travels and right there in your back yard, resonate.
When can I consider myself an elder? I'll be 71 - but sometimes I feel like I'm hundreds of years old and so, so tired - at the same time, standing in wonder at life and its lessons everywhere with the eyes of a child.. Do I qualify for those eldering chats?
You always qualify! I think it's more a matter of willingness than a specific age. Jenkinson says we need to be better practitioners of Elderhood, providing examples and guidance for those younger than us. I haven't learned enough from him yet to know quite what that means.
Beautifully thought and said. I love the idea of willingness as the key. I'd like to think, as you do, that he is talking about living by example; embracing life at any age. We have much conditioning (based on advertising and other social mores) to fear and be repulsed by aging and death, rather than see the various freedoms that any age, including eldering, can bring. Inter-generational friendships and relationships are so important for us all.
That old cliche that 'youth is wasted on the young' is partly true, but how can we be any other place and space than where we are at any given time in our lives? The foolhardiness of age may look different than the foolhardiness of youth (or not!)... except, is it really, if you look in terms of soul essence? The same yearning for what lights us up and thrills our whole being is there at any age. Your wonder wall shows this by example.
Maybe he's speaking of something else. I'm fascinated to know what. Reading your substack has me thinking a lot about risk and what that means - and how so often I've held myself back instead of live full-throttle. But we never see ourselves the same way that others do. If we can be examples to our youth of the okay-ness of risk and mistakes - which to me is all about wrestling with angels - maybe people - especially our youth, with so much social pressure on them, won't be so afraid of risk. They surely have a lot more pressures on them than we had, in so many ways.
This goes both ways and always has: old teaching young and young teaching old. We need each other. And we would all gain from it, and understand that mistakes lead to experiences that are part of our lessons in earth school, and there's no 'wrong' choices, just different lessons.
Not having things work out as planned is a big part of that; the 'plan' is the springboard to get us to move and act. Once we're moving, letting go of expectations that it has to go exactly as planned can lead to the magic, and ultimately, something even better or more rich and unexpected than what we planned in the first place - as you so often illustrate in your stacks.
This is terrific, Joyce. Thank you for sharing the people you meet--the ones that stick with you after you meet them, with your readers. Stephen Jenkison is my age and says it better than I have ever written an ABOUT page. His starts with this: Conceived while the ash of the Second World War settled. That just makes me want to read all six of his books. You are fortunate to have met him in person. And he's fortunate to experience some Joyce Wycoff.
Gosh, everything you touch on here has had a hold of my heart for some time now. I like the analogy of the rising water, so fitting. My grandfather died in a flood in the mid states, not sure of the year. It could be the very flood you mention. Always up for discussions about eldering.
Thanks Joyce. I look forward to seeing the new flip book on the big screen when I sit down in a few days, until then I'm kinda busy - eldering, I guess.
Hi Joyce,
I remember hearing about that '37 flood. My grandparents owned a drug store in Paducah, KY. The flood didn't quite reach them, so they were the only pharmacy open for a while there. My mother said one of her first jobs was for a photographer who came to the store wanting to sell postcards from his photos of the flood around town. I don't remember how much she got for selling them. One of those "How did you grow up, Mom?" kind of stories. She lived to 100.
How the U.S. has changed. She told me a million years ago, "If you're good to the company, the company will be good to you." Not any more, Mom. Those days up and left a long time ago.
So now, I'm the "elder" of the family (actually the last one who's left). Haven't lived in the states for almost 40 years. That's fine. I like "eldering" from this side of our tiny planet. Different challenges and different rewards, I guess.
Thanks for writing this post, Joyce.
Thanks for your note, Louise, and the story. A time before our communal safety nets ... when we cared enough, mostly, to try to take care of each other. Where on the planet do you now call home?
I’m in Nagoya, Japan. Home. :-)
How lovely. I'd like to know more about your life there ... is there a specific post I should read?
Well, I don't really post about that in my stack, Social Issues in Song, so there's no particular post to direct you to.
Life here is pretty much the way it is in other places. Through my travels to many places in Europe, the U.S., and Japan, I've found that people are basically very similar. They want a good job, a safe place to live, good health, some want families, and a vacation from time to time.
Other than that, Japan for me over the last 30 years or so has been interesting and "normal", with work, home, friends, things like that. Many, but not all, Japanese values resonate with me. There are serious problems here, as there are in any country. But I am comfortable living here and am staying "until they put my legs in the box" (a Japanese saying).
Anything you'd like to know more about, please ask! :-)
Thank you ... I will.
(Or DM me.) 🙃
Thanks so much for this post - for Johnny Cash, who wrote a lot about the plight of the poor and various rising waters he saw and its effect on people. There are so much more of them now, and the dams built to hold them back aren't holding. Love how you think in metaphors.
And thanks for Stephen Jenkison and that passage about wrestling angels; made me want to read him. Thanks for your articulate, artistic, poetic, caring, adventurous soul - you bring us all enrichment with your posts. Your thoughts, who you're reading and meeting, what you're seeing in your travels and right there in your back yard, resonate.
When can I consider myself an elder? I'll be 71 - but sometimes I feel like I'm hundreds of years old and so, so tired - at the same time, standing in wonder at life and its lessons everywhere with the eyes of a child.. Do I qualify for those eldering chats?
You always qualify! I think it's more a matter of willingness than a specific age. Jenkinson says we need to be better practitioners of Elderhood, providing examples and guidance for those younger than us. I haven't learned enough from him yet to know quite what that means.
Thank you, Joyce! <3
Beautifully thought and said. I love the idea of willingness as the key. I'd like to think, as you do, that he is talking about living by example; embracing life at any age. We have much conditioning (based on advertising and other social mores) to fear and be repulsed by aging and death, rather than see the various freedoms that any age, including eldering, can bring. Inter-generational friendships and relationships are so important for us all.
That old cliche that 'youth is wasted on the young' is partly true, but how can we be any other place and space than where we are at any given time in our lives? The foolhardiness of age may look different than the foolhardiness of youth (or not!)... except, is it really, if you look in terms of soul essence? The same yearning for what lights us up and thrills our whole being is there at any age. Your wonder wall shows this by example.
Maybe he's speaking of something else. I'm fascinated to know what. Reading your substack has me thinking a lot about risk and what that means - and how so often I've held myself back instead of live full-throttle. But we never see ourselves the same way that others do. If we can be examples to our youth of the okay-ness of risk and mistakes - which to me is all about wrestling with angels - maybe people - especially our youth, with so much social pressure on them, won't be so afraid of risk. They surely have a lot more pressures on them than we had, in so many ways.
This goes both ways and always has: old teaching young and young teaching old. We need each other. And we would all gain from it, and understand that mistakes lead to experiences that are part of our lessons in earth school, and there's no 'wrong' choices, just different lessons.
Not having things work out as planned is a big part of that; the 'plan' is the springboard to get us to move and act. Once we're moving, letting go of expectations that it has to go exactly as planned can lead to the magic, and ultimately, something even better or more rich and unexpected than what we planned in the first place - as you so often illustrate in your stacks.
It's food for thought, however he means it.
Love your thoughts and interest in understanding more of what our task is as an Elder. Let's keep sharing.
I'd be honored to, Joyce. You have given me so much by sharing your writings and art
This is terrific, Joyce. Thank you for sharing the people you meet--the ones that stick with you after you meet them, with your readers. Stephen Jenkison is my age and says it better than I have ever written an ABOUT page. His starts with this: Conceived while the ash of the Second World War settled. That just makes me want to read all six of his books. You are fortunate to have met him in person. And he's fortunate to experience some Joyce Wycoff.
Thanks, actually haven't met him yet ... but hope to do so soon. I have much to learn.
Gosh, everything you touch on here has had a hold of my heart for some time now. I like the analogy of the rising water, so fitting. My grandfather died in a flood in the mid states, not sure of the year. It could be the very flood you mention. Always up for discussions about eldering.
Maybe we should have a thread or a chat ... sorry about your grandfather ... that sounds like a horrid thing.
Yes, a chat or thread! I'm not the best with keeping those going, lol!
The history I was told about my grandfather is that he went back to help someone, and in doing so lost his life. Long before I was even an idea. 💜
Courage runs in your genes. I'm not good at it either ... we'll see if it gathers enough steam to keep it going.
The post title had me go straight to Johnny Cash and that song, I do like his music
Yes! And that song started playing through my head as I was writing and I realized it was a great metaphor.
I love the passage about wrestling with an angel.
Yes! HIs words fascinate me.
Thanks Joyce. I look forward to seeing the new flip book on the big screen when I sit down in a few days, until then I'm kinda busy - eldering, I guess.
Anita, I believe your books are a form of Eldering. Carry on.