What is “Old”?
I was born in 1952, seven years after World War II ended and perhaps 15 years after the depths of the depression. Because these things happened before I was born, they felt like ancient history—even though I knew they impacted my parents’ and grandparents’ lives tremendously. I was probably in my late teens or early twenties before my perception of history and time started to change. I heard newscasters and others referring to things I could actually remember as historical events. That was my first inkling of feeling “old.” It’s funny how time compresses as we age. It’s not just that the days, months and years fly by much more quickly than they used to—it’s that history creeps closer and closer.
“Time isn’t the enemy. Fear of change is. Accept that nothing lasts forever and you’ll start to appreciate the advantages of whatever age you are now.”
This past November I spent a few days out in Western Kansas taking photographs in an area called Monument Rocks and at a nearby state park known as Little Jerusalem. The visit had me once again thinking about time, and my relationship to it. Both areas are known for the incredible chalk formations rising out of the shortgrass prairie that surrounds them. The chalk formations were formed from sediment at the bottom of what was once a huge inland sea about 80 million years ago, covering much of what is now the western US. If you look closely you can see the impression of little sea creatures embedded in the chalk.
Those chalk formations are old. For the past 150 years or so this area has been cattle country. And while 150 years once seemed like an eternity, I understand now that it’s the blink of an eye. An abandoned ranch house stands in the background of Little Jerusalem, and cattle are still allowed to graze the area. Those cattle wander around the ancient towering structures, completely unaware of how old they are, what went before them or what might come after.
It’s never easy, but getting older makes it at least possible to keep time and change in perspective. At some point we understand that time passes and change is coming because it always does. And the change is hardly ever what we expect.
I know Oprah is right on this one—accepting the passage of time and the changes that come with it is an important key to living a life of serenity. Be sure to check out this month’s thoughts on serenity from Ohio Photographer Eileen Critchley.