New Eyes

The everyday things become a poem,
when we look real hard
and get to know 'em.
If you haven't got eyes to see that,
then maybe you should grow 'em.

-B.C. Byron
The seeds are expensive and the plants are difficult to care for, but eyeplants can be well worth the effort to grow
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Growing eye plants is difficult and not recommended for any but the most experienced farmers and gardeners. These plants are quite finicky and require constant attention. Too much water and the eyes burst from liquid saturation. Too little water and the eyes come out more like raisins, which have poor vision. Since growing eye plants is not practical for most folks, I recommend a change of perspective rather than literally growing new eyes. If you want to see a poem in everything, which I strive to do, you’ll have to change your mindset. Learn to count blessings.

Our perspective about the things around us is largely within our control. Seeing things in a positive light just takes practice. Unfortunately, we often spend too much time looking for things we don’t like about the world around us. Poems aren’t always positive and happy and neither is life, but poems can be a good way to step back and look at the world in a different way and this can lead to finding the good in a tough situation. As a kid, I found a pretty neat trick with food that helps me enjoy (or at least tolerate) foods I don’t want to eat. I pretend that I have been stranded on an island by myself for ears and the meal in front of me is the first thing I’m eating after being rescued and brought back to civilisation. I imagine how new and exciting it must be to eat plain old vegetables, or bread, or whatever boring food after having to forage my own meals out in the wild. Suddenly, the food in my mouth is becomes a treasured flavor, something I missed during my long isolation away from everyone else when even salt and sugar were completely unavailable. A little perspective and imagination can turn broccoli into a dessert, well almost.

I read a great book called Man’s Search for Meaning. It was written by a Jewish man who survived in a death camp during World War II. He learned that his frame of mind was something that could keep him alive and even find a bit of joy in a dark situation. His troubles didn’t go away and he certainly didn’t ignore them, but he survived and found a way through. I can’t think of a better example of growing new eyes. If your eyes are only seeing frustration and boredom, grow new ones. It’s up to you.

Turning Forty

Today I'm turning forty
And my joints are getting creaky,
But I'm hoping it's still many years
'Til the nether realm is leaky. 

Today I'm turning forty,
And I really shouldn't worry,
Though my list of lofty goals
Had better clear up in a hurry. 

Today I'm turning forty
So I'm making you aware,
That my middle parts are saggy,
And I'm losing bits of hair.
I've gathered several battle scars,
my body needs repair,
So you'll please ignore the groaning
As I stand up from a chair,
And you'll please ignore the grunting
As I labor up the stairs.
All these things are bound to happen
After years of wear and tear. 

But forty's just the middle,
Still got decades left to go.
All this awesomeness and belly
Still have decades left to grow.

-B.C. Byron
My 40th birthday cake is a giant pile of donuts. 1 donut for each month I’ve lived (480).
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This is a poem I wrote for my own 40th birthday. First, because every occasion should be marked by a poem. Second, because I wanted to remind myself that 40 is really not that old, and I still have loads of living left to do. For the kids reading this forty may seem super old, but it’s really not. Statistically speaking, I still have 40 whopping more years to go.. at least. That’s 40+ years more donuts to eat, more poems to write, more puns to share, more books to write, more questionably sane science experiments, and more time to embarrass my kids. All these things can still be accomplished even with creaky knees, jiggly belly, and other middle-age maladies in play. For that reason and more, 40 is an exciting time for me.

Whatever age you are now, there is something special that will probably only happen to you during this time of your life. There is no “best age” if you’re really living and taking time to count your blessings. Every age can be the best. I miss my childhood years full of dreamy discovery and free time. I miss my high school and early college years where I was learning so many new and difficult subjects and learning how to be an adult. I miss when I was first married, and when I had my first baby. I know that in a few years I’ll miss being 40. But all the while, I’m feeling excited about this year and all the things I can cram into it. Missing old things doesn’t have to ruin the now things. Always remember that and your someday creaky knees won’t really bother you that much, because with those creaky knees will come a giant, exciting pile of new opportunities.

Don’t fear 40, or 50, or 100. There will still be donuts and many new accomplishments to be had.