I relish that memory of running a sub-forty-minute 10K.
Now, despite my best efforts,
I’m struggling to crack a 5K in under thirty minutes.
What happened to that youthful athlete?
I took for granted my excellent eyesight
until that day in my forties when I woke up,
grabbed my novel, and found the words blurry.
Now, I carry my eyeglasses wherever I go,
putting them on to read the price tags on the groceries I buy,
putting them back in my pocket afterward.
I was ambitious once,
but now I’m unclear as to why.
Did I not know that I would become this older self
who just wanted to enjoy a simple life?
There are things that haven’t changed, however.
I still love a good Canadian or foreign adventure.
I still love to read,
to have coffee with friends,
to hike in the wilderness.
I still have a healthy curiosity about people
and the world
and the universe.
Many things indeed have changed.
The best things haven’t.
