Back in the day (well, my day) there was a popular song called "She's a Brick House." The words from the title are about all the lyrics I know and about as much as the melody that I remember. But lately it has caused me to think about brick houses and women. Particularly mine and me.
Our house was built in the 50s, just as I was. And it seems that we are both showing our age. Last week the soap holder thingy in the shower fell off. Of course, it didn't help that I was holding on to it as I was trying to raise to a standing position from cleaning the shower. Our roof was leaky so we had a beautiful new roof installed, but we're still having a few problems. Some of our floors aren't exactly even. There are cracks in the house here and there. And one can only imagine what's going on behind the walls with all that old electrical and plumbing.
That's about the way it is with me. Cracks from settling show up in wrinkles here and there. My fading paint shows up as grey hairs. Who knows what lurks underneath my skin - unless you count the arthritis, bursitis, and creaky-itis. Things haven't exactly fallen off - but there are certainly a lot of things sagging and bulging at the seams!
Old houses do have charm, and a lot of people renovate them. A few years ago we updated and remodeled our house. It certainly looks better than when we bought it, but it's still the same old house underneath. As for me, I'm not exactly planning "lift, tighten, and suck it out" procedures. Instead I'm trying to keep it together with ankle supports, night creams, and extra vitamins. I'm just not sure if there's enough spackle for this golden oldie!
In the end, I guess I just have to realize that maybe I am like my old brick house. I am not as strong as I was, but I'm still standing. I'm not as new and fresh as the new build down the street, but I have characteristics that others don't. And while things may not work as well as they did, I'm still viable. But most of all, just like my brick house, I hold over fifty years of memories and experiences that are special and unique to me. Come to think of it, maybe that's why we expand and crack as we get older - the wealth that is inside us can hardly be contained inside our walls.
So maybe I'm not the brick house of the 70's song, but maybe I'm even better. Where else would one want to be in order to be safe and secure? What else can you count on to be strong? Which house could stand against the Big Bad Wolf? So in the end, maybe it's not me that needs updating, but the song.
She's an old brick house - and proud of it!
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Things that make today great: Family pancake brunch followed by family Target trip; catching up race scrapbook; dvd afternoon
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