Tuesday, September 17, 2013

It’s all downhill from here


And so the long descent begins.

Having reached the heights, there is no place to go but down.

Having conquered the peaks, nothing but valleys remain.

Sara Teasdale said it better than I can, but from a woman’s perspective:

THE LONG HILL
by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)


I must have passed the crest a while ago
And now I am going down--
Strange to have crossed the crest and not to know,
But the brambles were always catching the hem of my gown.

All the morning I thought how proud I should be
To stand there straight as a queen,
Wrapped in the wind and the sun with the world under me--
But the air was dull, there was little I could have seen.

It was nearly level along the beaten track
And the brambles caught in my gown--
But it’s no use now to think of turning back,
The rest of the way will be only going down.


Every year, as summer begins to wane and an early autumn coolness fills the mornings, a strange thing occurs. Instead of becoming invigorated, I become melancholy. Wistful. Lonely. No, not lonely exactly, because I do have a wife and children and grandchildren.
I don’t know the right word to use to describe my state at this time of year, but when the leaves begin to fall, it happens like clockwork.

Sooner or later I remember, and then it makes sense.

My mother died on the 4th of October, many years ago.

Once I can identify the reason for the feeling, I manage to get on with my life. But until then, I like to read Sara Teasdale.

If this post makes any sense at all, it’s not my fault.

11 comments:

  1. I am the opposite...I love this season withe the prospect of winter. It is in mid summer that I lose motivation.
    I don't enjoy the light in summer.
    I know that the only way is down and it's been like that for ten years. I've got used to it now.

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  2. I too have passed the crest of the hill, but I'm still enjoying the scenery as I travel down the road.
    An Arkie's Musings

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  3. Like Sara Teasdale, I have sometimes puzzled about whether or not I have reached the summit of a hill. Your allusion is a good one.

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  4. RWP, I have noticed from afar. :) Every season has it's purpose, even in our minds and hearts x

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  5. I am always going up No such thing as down.Always 23. Always spring.If it wasn't for the news everyday bringing everything down, life would be swell.
    It helps to live in a place where things stay green all year round but I do miss fall and I do miss snow flakes and the quiet. All we have is rain.

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  6. I am with Adrian. I love the autumn, and skulk away and hide in the summer.
    I am almost certain that I am over the hill - but who can tell. I cannot see the bottom and don't know (or care) how far I have to go.
    I do empathise about the influence those anniversaries have though.

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  7. i HATE the downhill decent,.<>dammmmmmm

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  8. When and if I get to a point where the only way I can live is to have someone take care of me, that will be soon enough to reflect on my life. Until then I'll just keep living it.

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  9. Adrian, Richie, Yorkshire Pudding, Carol in some little town in Australia, A-Lady in BC, Elephant's Child, and the two Davids, thank you all for commenting. I think I'm coming out of my blue funk now. What you had to say helped.

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  10. Yes. I understand. January and February are when it really hits me I think, such a feeling, but we're at that cusp too, and I'm with you. The thoughts of the autumn colours though and warm toasty socks in bed as the rain batters the window pane, lift me somewhat. I'm ill anyway so probably flatter than usual. Bear with me.

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  11. Also, I forgot tsk, Sara Teasdale is a favourite of mine, you have excellent taste in poetry methinks, thinks-me *smiles.

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<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

We are bombarded daily by abbreviations in everyday life, abbreviations that are never explained, only assumed to be understood by everyone...