GROW UP & GROW DOWN!

This is a time to recognize that everyone has different manners of relating to time and to different celebrations.

When as a small child I waited for my mother to come home from work, the excitement was unleashed with nothing stifled. When my birthday was recognized, it was a giant and happy affair!

Growing up had importance since with it came more freedom and more time to investigate oneself on one's own terms.

We learned about new things expected of us along with the newfound freedom. New body size meant new clothes, new shoes, and new independence.

Christmas was unavoidable as was mention of Passover. The latter is very soon to be celebrated among the Jews pretty much everywhere. A big trip was to be undertaken, leaving Egypt for lands unknown. These were my ancestors, eh?

My husband and I arrived here largely because we were no longer allowed to live in Greece. The EU was very strict about allowing only Europeans to remain in their cherished land. There had been promised exile, hitherto, which we had placed our hope for. My desire to learn Modern Greek and my husband's desire to teach art at an American Institute on the island of Paros. Once we knew we had to leave our chosen prospects, I knew it was time to grow down.

Arriving in Israel, a country whose origin I questioned, was the beginning of finding an answer to growing down:

the means to begin to accept life's finality. I adopted all religious customs, beliefs and traditions of the Jewish religion.

I had lived on a kibbutz in 1962, and learned basic Hebrew. I never appreciated the sound of it, after French and Italian had been implanted in my brain! What I did appreciate about Hebrew was the word formation formed from simple consonant roots of two, three, or four letters. The composition of the language was imposing upon my linguistic brain!

I knew that my dream of obtaining permanent foreign status in Europe was a faded dream.

I knew that the language I was destined to hear was not one I loved to speak. I also knew that being Jewish would afford me free medical care and free burial when the time came.

I also know the time was slowing down, and at the same time speeding up. One begins, I think, to look at the new status of being older after age 60.I call this “growing down”.

What I discovered, unexpectedly, as the time moved on, was that growing down can be the best period of one’s life! The level of honesty expressed is more acceptable, as is the desire to be more honest! The appreciation of those who remain in one’s life, the taste of cheese and bread and soup! Growing down does speed up the awareness of the end of days, however,

Whatever and whomever I have loved is loved even more so. Everything I do is tainted with the possibility that it will be the last time!

ALAS! It has been suggested by my husband that I change my Blog name to Mrs.Rheinberg!

I, however, wish to maintain the name that recalls the famous beer----and cover girls of the 40’s and 50’s!

MISS RHEINGOLD---signing off