Energy. When we were kids it was endless. My memory of running full speed in the pasture over the well shorn field and pasture that the heifers chomped down. About sundown when it started to cool off. The tall weeds, rods to avoid and the strange looking divots that looked like someone buried a body; always thought maybe that was from Indians putting something under the sod.
The day in summer seemed endless, and at no time do I remember saying, I’m going to sit down because I’m tired. It just kept going, one thing after another with long long days.
And even a few years ago when I lost weight, I’d work on something and not have to sit and rest. Or I’d sit for a time, and then get up and work since there were always jobs and errands. That felt great, and I could tell right away it was because I wasn’t carrying around the nearly 50 pounds that i lost.
We can think back to the days of our youth of boundless energy and nothing slowing us down. Looking at older people, we’d wonder why and wondering why they took so long at whatever they did.
Back to the dogs jumping the fence. There is no better photo, to me, than to look at them and admire their youth and energy. They’ve got a goal, they’ve got “friends” to do it with, and they have the open fields to expend their energy.
We’d often take our boundless energy for granted, but with age comes slow realization that it won’t always be that way.
I located quotations about energy, but none of them apply to the energy of youth and activity described above.
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“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
― Aristotle, The Philosophy of Aristotle
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“…When you die, the energy that kept you alive filters into the people you loved. Did you know that? It’s like a fire you’ve tended all your life, and the sparks are all scattered into the wind…. That’s why we survive as long as we do, because the people who loved us keep us going.”
― Kevin Brockmeier, The View from the Seventh Layer
I was just thinking the same thing this morning…..I have all my pots out to fill with flowers and plants. I was so enthusiastic when I got up this morning. Here it is noon and I’m not nearly finished, I’m already tired, various body parts are crying out for a rest. What has happened to me??? I guess it’s mind over girth at this point! Haha
Susan, I know what you’re talking about. I haven’t been working outside much this spring, and in working on small projects I’m quickly tired and even a little sore if I have to do anything like shoveling mulch. We have to recognize that, Susan, that’s the only thing I can figure out. We stay active, and rest when weary. I’ve found resting gets me back to almost 100%. Anyway I thought of that when I saw those hunting dogs bounding over the fence. Thanks for writing.