A fellow journalist and friend recently reminded me of something my father, also a long-time editor for a large Southern California newspaper for 25 years, used to say to me when I seemed overwhelmed – “Pace yourself honey.”
When I read my colleague and mentor’s words of wisdom as I filed newspaper stories this week for the two community papers I am the editor for I realized I must’ve sounded a bit stretched as we communicated online, but I was referring to aging at the time.
Thinking back, I recall a number of significant people in my lifetime saying things along the way, such as “Don’t overdo it,” or “One day you’ll understand when you are older.” How about, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint”. “You’ll be looking back on life sooner than you think,” and “Take time to smell the roses,” and so on.
I must ask myself now at this stage, age, am I now the one offering similar advice to those younger?
When did life switch into high gear as though time is travelling almost at the speed of light? Sometimes it literally feels as though the days are melting into each other and I have proof as each week produces two more newspapers to add to my containers, yes, I’m on the second container now saving a copy of each issue to ‘look back on’ once I find the rocker and porch that suits me when the time comes to rock in reflection.
Maybe I should be careful what I wish for. “Oh, if only I could sleep in, have the time to sit in a canoe again and write a poem, or even ‘do nothing’ digging my toes into some warm sand along the seashore. Hmmmm. Would I really be happy not contributing in some way and just sitting back?
You know I can just hear Grandma Lillie who loved the Looney Tunes characters so much quoting ol’ Foghorn Leghorn’s saying, “Why, why now – ya' know I’m just busier than a centipede at a toe-countin' contest.” Then Grandma Lillie would laugh till the tears ran down her cheeks, wiping them away with her “house dress apron” and chide us kids asking, “Don’t you think he’s funny? Why aren’t you kids laughing? He’s so funny!”
There’s the answer to pacing myself! A light bulb moment that came to me as Grandma Lillie would say, “lickety split.” I just need to laugh more, watch some Looney Tunes, take a moment to wash away the overload with some knee slapping Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote hilarity. Yep! That’s the ticket!
It worked for our grandma and our dad, they both carried their sense of humour on through their folksy poetry, punster jokes and quirky short shrifts. Dad, Ross Haynes wrote ‘Short Shrifts by Ross Haynes for Reader’s Digest you know.
I’m sure glad I worked through feeling overwhelmed and took a break while writing this to watch Roadrunner run circles around that crazy coyote, giggling to myself in the office. Laughter is the best medicine, I guess.
Well, by golly, I think I just paced myself! Thanks grandma (she lived till she was 98 by the way) I think I’ll pack up and head home to make your special Tweety Pie cookies and watch while that little yellow bird teaches Sylvester a thing or two. ‘That’s all folks!’
