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se introducen y explican)
Many areas in
Earth’s northern hemisphere have just experienced a change of seasons --
from summer to autumn. Hours of daylight grow shorter, and temperatures
drop. Nature is entering a quiet phase. Flowering plants stop producing
flowers. Leaves growing on some trees change color, die and fall to the
ground. Some animals become less active and hibernate during the winter
months.
Nature has its phases and so do we.
Like seeds shooting signs of life through the soil, spring is a time of
rebirth. If it were likened to a human life, spring is the time when we
enter the world as innocent as a newborn baby.
Then babies become toddlers. They learn the word “no” and use it a lot.
Bad behavior can be a problem during this period. No wonder it is often
called the “Terrible Twos.” But other than this “terrible” part,
childhood is a magical time, or at least, it should be, when everything
seems possible.
However, those feelings of wonder are often dampened during a child’s
adolescence. The growing pains and angst of the teenage years can be a
dark time, indeed. But then we become young adults. We try to make it on
our own.
For many people, their 20s and 30s are the prime of life. This is the
time when they are at their personal best. But the prime of life can
happen at any time. Some people peak really early. They hit their prime
in high school or college. After that, it may be all downhill. He or she
is filled with memories of the glory days – always reliving an earlier,
happier time.
We just sit around talking about the old times,
She says when she feels like crying she starts laughing thinking
about …
Glory days - they pass you by
Glory days - in the wink of a young girl’s eye,
Glory days, glory days …
Other people may be late bloomers. They do not
hit their peak until much later in life. And still others live their
lives as if the best is yet to come … always!
Whenever you peak, we all begin to slow down a bit. As we age, we hit a
phase that some people call midlife. In this phase we are busy working
and possibly raising a family. Even though we are busy, we may feel that
life has become predictable. So, this is when many people want to change
things, a lot! They have a so-called midlife crisis... or two. They may
buy a really fast motorcycle, get a tattoo or take up a new and
dangerous hobby -- like skydiving.
But this passes and things calm down again as we enter the next phase –
the autumn years.
If spring is the season of being born, autumn is the season of dying --
or at least slowing down for the winter. Our autumn years is the period
after we retire from work and start to slow down. Many people love this
phase and enjoy their time in retirement.
However, we have other terms that describe this latter part of life. You
might hear them called the twilight years. For many, this could suggest
that the “end is near.”
So, perhaps a better expression is the golden years. This describes a
time that is carefree and easy. Golden, you might say. You finally hit a
phase where you don’t have to care what other people think anymore.
Perhaps this is why we sometimes call the autumn years, or golden years,
a second childhood. We can live like a child again, hopefully, without a
care in the world.
Some people in their autumn years of life may have some regrets. But
seriously, who wouldn’t? Nearly everyone has a few “what-ifs” and “should-haves.”
But as we say, you can’t change the past. You can only look to the
future … whatever stage of life you are in.
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