Grow Old With Me

This picture of a Black-Eyed Susan was taken in October, well past its prime. Even though it was on its way to becoming compost, I found something beautiful about it as the early morning sun hit it.

It's funny how we tend to look past things if they are not colorful, beautiful or new. I saw the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night and although it seemed to ramble along, I found it to have a good message. Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin and he is born with the physical traits of an old man. As the years progress and people around him grow older, he looks and gets younger. Obviously, it's a fantasy. But the movie made me think about how things in life happen for a reason and why they progress the way they do. For me, I found the movie to have a "be careful what you wish for" message.

As you age, you develop character. I love to look at photographs that contain older people or objects. If it's a person, I think about how much they have lived through and how many lives they have touched along the way. Character lines, wrinkles, eyes, and hands all tell a story. If it's an old object, I think about how many years it has been used or how many seasons it has survived. The way the paint is worn or damage was incurred all tells a story.

Many of us are obsessed with trying to look younger and stop the hands of time. I think many people would jump at the chance to age backwards or not age at all if given the opportunity. The reality of it is, however, growing older with the ones you love is what makes life special.