Learning at Any Age

60: (March 2025)

Learning new things can be joyous. I have been learning how to make music videos using free computer software that I recently downloaded, and this has indeed reminded me of how great the learning process can feel. Time has no meaning when I’m using this new medium; I lose myself to the fun and excitement of creating something that’s multi-dimensional (visual, aural, textual), and from the satisfaction of learning a new technical skill. It has reminded me that discovering a newfound passion can happen at any age.

Learning how to use the computer software so that I can put music to a visual landscape feels like I’m taking a big drink from the fountain of youth; it is anti-aging in the sense that the feeling of exuberance enlivens my entire being. This new endeavor is surely energizing my body, as well as my mind and spirit.

I’ve mostly put music to photographs at this point, which adds to the fun for me, since it makes me happy to dip into the folders of digital photos I’ve taken over the years; they finally have a purpose! I made three videos of Celtic music performed by Grove Street, the band I play with, using our recorded music and photos I’ve taken during trips to Ireland.

The most recent video I created is of one of my original piano compositions. That was a thrill, because I paired it with another passion of mine: my love of flowers. I used photos I’ve taken of all kinds of flowers from the vantage point I like best, which is extremely close up. I never tire of seeing how the graceful shapes of flower petals interplay with color, light, and shadow. It gives me irrepressible pleasure to put my original music to these images. I’m so glad I dove into this project and tried something new that wound up bringing me so much joy.

Here is my first (and only, so far) video of one of my compositions, Epiphany. I hope it gives you a little window of quiet pleasure:

40: (March 2005)

My baby, my first-born, just had a birthday. She is 15 years old. So clearly do I remember all the moments leading up to her birth. Oh, yes, those contractions! And the pushing, pushing, pushing the baby to leave my body, to sever the cord, to become separate.

I remember the wonder of seeing her sweet face, of hearing her cries, of touching her impossibly soft skin. I held her little body, no longer within my own, yet being fed with the milk that was miraculously produced by my physical self: perfect nourishment for this new life.

I remember all the days and nights when we were two distinct bodies, yet inseparable. I used to joke that we were ‘Velcroed’ together; she seemed to always be in my arms, whether strolling the local parks or going about in our apartment. I delighted in her every sound and movement, and in the ever-present sparkle in her eye as she discovered something else that life had to offer.

Then came the toddler years, when her energy was inexhaustible and mine wasn’t! We read big picture books together, made up endless stories, and played ‘pretend’ hour after hour. The early school years came, and I watched her circle of friends grow, as well as her eagerness to embrace the animal kingdom. I also witnessed her face serious asthma and allergies; I wanted to breathe for her, but we were not one body anymore. In the middle school years when we home schooled, I admired her intelligence and curiosity. We made art and music together and I marveled at her creativity.

She is 15. This was the first birthday we ever spent apart. Divorce is not kind to rituals or traditions. We are leading lives now that, of necessity, require physical separations. Yet I am never truly separate from her. When I gave birth to my daughter, I released her to the world and to her own self. But she will always and forever be in my heart, which I gave to her long before that final push, 15 years ago.

60-40:

Some things are painful to learn, like how to deal with separation. These lessons can help us to grow. Some things are pure joy to learn, like a new skill that fans the flame of a newfound passion.

This year, my ‘baby,’ Molly, was working in Thailand on her birthday. Needless to say, I wasn’t with her. But my heart was, as ever.

Molly also writes music and makes videos, although on a much grander scale than a neophyte like me. But we’re never too old to learn, to dream, and to be inspired. Here is Molly’s first music video, which she released in August 2023: