So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

I once went to ballroom dance classes, they weren’t very successful for me at the time, although I think they should teach it to school children. It helps couples move with each other and might help the next generation to navigate the dance of life, it’s fun and it might save more marriages. I will always remember the chant of the instructor – “slow, slow, quick-quick, slow.” My dancing days could be over – but you never know. As you get older it seems like it is more like, slow, slow, slower and slower!

Towards the end of last year, I had another tooth extraction…I’ve lost count now, they all seem to be at the back – soon I wont be able to chew my food. It had been bothering me all year and I had already been told it was a tooth that could not be saved. So it was a relief to get it pulled even though sitting in the dentists chair gave me images of being attacked by the sadistic dentist from Little Shop of Horrors (The musical version, brilliantly played by Steve Martin). Now it is out and now I have another gap to mind – or rather the remaining teeth around the gap.

Last night I was so tired I just wanted to jump into bed and fall asleep. Then I remembered that I hadn’t brushed my teeth. Then I got despondent! I longed for the days when I just brushed my teeth and jumped into bed. Now I not only have to brush my teeth but I have to floss my teeth…not only do I have to floss my teeth but I have to use inter-dent brushes on the remaining back ones…then I have to clean my denture and store it for the night in a damp tissue, unless it’s the day for cleaning it with Steradent, which then has to be done. Then it is time for the Listerine mouthwash. After the Listerine mouthwash it’s time to take out and put on the night guard which is supposed to protect my teeth from the grinding I am prone to do whilst asleep. All of this is to prolong the life of all the teeth I have left that have not been extracted. Now on top of this I have two different types of cream that I have to apply to various parts of the body that I have recently been prescribed by the doctor!

I know this all comes down to the simple fact of aging. But it doesn’t make it any easier, and I can feel resentful at times. How come I have to spend time cleaning my denture and applying creams when I don’t have the time to do all the things I want to do (like writing blogs!) Overcoming this resentment is my current task in hand.

There is a very good series on at the moment called, ‘Desert Fathers in a Year.’ It is written and presented by Bishop Erik Varden and produced by Exodus 90 and EWTN (it can be accessed on YouTube.) In Episode 6, The Pursuit of Perfection, Varden recounts the encounter of a disciple with Abba Anthony. The disciple asks blessed Anthony, “What must I do to please God?” Anthony replies, “Keep what I command you: wherever you go, always have God before your eyes; and whatever you do, have in mind the testimony of the sacred scriptures; and in whatever place you find yourself, do not move quickly. Keep these three things and you will be saved.”

Well, if you keep God before you when you are moving, then you have to slow down otherwise you’ll trip up…keeping God before your eyes definitely means keeping an eye out for oncoming traffic. As the mind is not so agile these days it’s probably handy to have a pocket bible in your pocket (where else would you keep it – on the smartphone!?) – that’ll slow you down as it would be a bit awkward to walk. And wherever you find yourself, make sure there is a chair handy!

Putting aside facetious musings, there is great wisdom in finding meaning in what is the natural process of aging. Accepting that certain things have to be done and can be done slowly can be a turning point into the prayer of having ‘God before our eyes.’ Being watchful and attentive in those hum drum moments have the potential to transform the mundane into the magical…there is a whole new adventure waiting in the toothpaste tube. So when I start telling you that my toothpaste tube is talking to me, it could be time to call the white coats…or maybe not. Maybe I have reached the magical in the mundane. In the meantime I think I will try not to move quickly, even when the frustrations and disappointments build up. I’m gonna give it a go and let you know how I get on. My bedtime routine will never be the same again. I guess each day, nothing is ever the same again

Watch this space…but more importantly, watch your own spaces.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away,

our inner nature is being renewed every day.

2 Corinthians 4:16