When I was younger, I loved to dance. In my twenties and early thirties, if I was not dancing every weekend, I thought something was radically wrong.Parties were fun, and I loved decorating, cooking, and doing all the things that went into making beautiful and imaginative large gatherings.
As I got older, I was more interested in meeting with friends in smaller groups, having an opportunity to talk about things that were more meaningful and gave us time to truly interact with one another rather than just having small talk in a large party setting.
At another age, I found myself no longer interested in entertaining. I appreciated going for a cup of coffee, or to a meeting. But parties and get togethers just for the sake of seeing people was no longer something I cared to do.
As I am in my early seventies now, I’ve found other changes in my interests and desires. My life is much less social and much more internally focused. Yet, as is my way, I note that just because this is how I am evolving, the rest of the world is doing its own thing in its own way, and all of it is good.
We tend to think that what we are doing is the thing everyone else ought to be doing or what they would enjoy, but it is decidedly not so. One man’s season of quiet is another’s passion for free form dancing or gliding or playing or social unrest, or any other form of expression that life offers.
We have our seasons of interests, and they change. And there is nothings right or wrong in that…merely an indication that our focus is otherwise engaged. And as we accept shifting interests in ourselves and others, we participate in allowing each person to express according to their own season, respecting our differences, and appreciating the diversity that is everywhere present in this magical exploration we call life.