An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hand and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress
Those lines, from the second stanza of William Butler Yeats' Sailing to Byzantium, will never be found on the door of any plastic surgeon's office. But for me, they have become an inspiration, if not outright instruction.
They are among the reasons I continue to call this blog "Midlife Cycling" at a time when many would argue that I am no longer in mid-life. To them, I say that as long as I don't know when my life will end, I am in the middle of it.
Such an outlook provides an answer to another question. If it doesn't, then perhaps Martha Stewart does.
Truth be told, I never paid a lot of attention to her because, in the days before saving episodes of TV shows for future viewing was possible, let alone convenient, she always aired at times when I couldn't watch them. Also, I always sensed that I would never be able to replicate some of the things she showed because I didn't have a big enough living space or enough money, or I didn't just happen to have the ingredients on hand.
But now I look to her to solve a riddle. Actually, it's one that never really exercised my mind before, but someone brought it up in a tweet:
So, this "seafoodpedia" thinks Ms. Stewart will "set an example" by giving up cycling. Why? I suspect that "seafoodpedia" is trying to rationalize his or her own laziness or indolence--or is simply upset that Martha is riding faster or better than he or she is--or riding at all. For all I know, "seafoodpedia" might just be someone who hates bicycles or cyclists.
So, how old does "seafoodpedia" think is "too old to bike safely." Well, apparently he/she would say 77--Ms. Stewart's current age--or younger.
While I might be practicing a form of denial in calling myself "middle aged", I think it will keep me from believing I'm "too old" to ride a bike--or do many other things. With every pedal stroke, I can clap my hand and sing, louder, for every tatter in my mortal dress.
So can Martha Stewart--though, I must say, her "tattered dress" looks pretty darned good!
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hand and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress
Those lines, from the second stanza of William Butler Yeats' Sailing to Byzantium, will never be found on the door of any plastic surgeon's office. But for me, they have become an inspiration, if not outright instruction.
They are among the reasons I continue to call this blog "Midlife Cycling" at a time when many would argue that I am no longer in mid-life. To them, I say that as long as I don't know when my life will end, I am in the middle of it.
Such an outlook provides an answer to another question. If it doesn't, then perhaps Martha Stewart does.
Truth be told, I never paid a lot of attention to her because, in the days before saving episodes of TV shows for future viewing was possible, let alone convenient, she always aired at times when I couldn't watch them. Also, I always sensed that I would never be able to replicate some of the things she showed because I didn't have a big enough living space or enough money, or I didn't just happen to have the ingredients on hand.
But now I look to her to solve a riddle. Actually, it's one that never really exercised my mind before, but someone brought it up in a tweet:
So, this "seafoodpedia" thinks Ms. Stewart will "set an example" by giving up cycling. Why? I suspect that "seafoodpedia" is trying to rationalize his or her own laziness or indolence--or is simply upset that Martha is riding faster or better than he or she is--or riding at all. For all I know, "seafoodpedia" might just be someone who hates bicycles or cyclists.
So, how old does "seafoodpedia" think is "too old to bike safely." Well, apparently he/she would say 77--Ms. Stewart's current age--or younger.
While I might be practicing a form of denial in calling myself "middle aged", I think it will keep me from believing I'm "too old" to ride a bike--or do many other things. With every pedal stroke, I can clap my hand and sing, louder, for every tatter in my mortal dress.
So can Martha Stewart--though, I must say, her "tattered dress" looks pretty darned good!
