One of my favorite poems as a teenager was Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost. I can almost recite it from memory. Here’s how it goes:
Nothing Gold Can Stay (by Robert Frost)
Nature’s first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
When I was younger, I always thought this was a terribly sad poem. Everything dies, life sucks. That’s pretty much how I interpreted it.
As I grow older, I am looking at it differently.
Yesterday was a frustrating day for me. I got upset about some small detail that went wrong in my day and as it tends to do, it threw off my mood for the day. Then, at night, I visited a friend who was sad. His reason was a lot more legitimate than mine (trust me.) I came home feeling sad for him and mad at me. This morning I woke up and while I was journaling I kept thinking about life and this poem.
The thing about life is that everything is ephemeral. Life changes. Constantly. With and without warning. Sometimes you’re the one instigating the change. Sometimes someone else is. Sometimes it’s a completely outside force. Sometimes it’s even bigger than that. And then there are things that change regularly. Days end. Months, years. Kids grow up. People get old. Seasons end. Change is around us constantly. Things that seem set in stone, never are.
I think that’s the reason some big, unexpected change throws us off course so much, it’s a reminder that the ground you’re on is not as solid as you might think it is. The life you built isn’t indestructible.
And while this feels scary on some scale, to me it’s also a relief. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that things will change. And I know that I can’t even begin to predict the extent and size of these changes.
The other thing I know is that life is pretty great now. I am very blessed in big ways. I have a wonderful husband and kids who are nothing short of miracles. I have a job I am proud of and a home I love. All of us are healthy. Including me, and I am getting healthier each day.
Of course, there are a million little things that go wrong all the time and things I want, wish for, desire, etc. But most of life is amazing. Right at this moment. And it might all change tomorrow. Let me correct that, it will all change tomorrow. It might be better or worse or just different.
But this poem is a reminder that things will change. Things will end. And at the same time, right now things are gold. There are wonderful things happening in my life. As life is so ephemeral and fragile, I need to pay more attention to those things. I need to be in this moment more. I need to be really aware and present. This very moment is here right now and it’s great.
If you noticed in my vision board from yesterday, I have a quote there that says “If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?” And this is something I need to work on again and again.
Being present and being grateful.
The thing is nothing gold does stay. But if we take it for granted and don’t appreciate the gold while it’s here, we’re missing out on the best moments of our life. And when the going gets tough, which it invariably will at some time, we will need these gold moments to get us through those not-so-great ones.
As I journaled about my bad day, I realized how much can change in just 24 hours. How my perspective changed and the specific problem that frustrated me actually went away. I wasted an entire golden day on some stupid frustration. The talk with my friend was a wake-up call that things are ephemeral and these golden days are not guaranteed so I cannot waste them with idle frustration. My goal is to remember this more. And make a point of basking in the glory of the golden moments while they are here.
Here’s to being more present and being more grateful.
I love that Frost poem, too. Some of his poems are too rhymy-rhymy for my taste…but that one gets me every time.
Here’s what I think: nothing gold stays, but different things are gold at different times. If I look at my life objectively, I can say there’s almost never been a time when NOTHING bad or hard was happening. But there’ve always been good things in the mix, too. I try to appreciate the gold no matter what. (Not always successful at that…but, I try!)
I love this idea Amy. The idea that there’s always some gold. (and there’s always something rough). Always a mix 🙂
Hi Karen, I like to encourage you to have these type of posts regularly on your blog. In fact, they make me come back every day to read, almost like a daily personal newspaper. They are also the reason why I stopped reading the commercial scrapbooking star type of blogs, where it’s all about this product and that ribbon and this sponsor etc. In fact, when I sometimes check back to these blogs and it is still about sponsor appreciation and must have products, I feel so empty and to me it looks like that person hasn’t grown any in the last half year or so.
I am getting the absolute opposite feeling from your blog and I attribute that also to you having another profession outside of the scrapbooking world.
Your blog has really been growing on me this year and I am so happy, that through you I discovered for example Soul Restoration. Furthermore, I was able to learn about the “Eat the frog” concept, the bad and the good wolve and the glass with the stones and the sand.
I want to thank you for that and marvel at the ability to be able learn from you – half a world away from me.
Zewa
thank you zewa. i’m glad there are different kinds of blogs so different needs can be met. I like to post a variety cause that’s how my interests are. this blog went through many changes over the time i had it and it will continue to change 🙂 I am so glad you enjoy it and i appreciate your words deeply! 🙂
Karen, you and I are sooo similar, no wonder it was meant to be for me to find you. I think GOD knew I needed you and how you would change my life. I learn so much from you daily thru all your posts, no matter what they are. Even if there isn’t a comment from me, I have been here reading and enjoying.
I agree with Zewa above, you need to keep doing these heartfelt posts, they really touch me and make me slow down and learn something new.
Any little thing that goes wrong in my day throws me off and I become angry and feeling mad and sorry for myself, the old “WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN TO ME” whine. IT is hard to get past it but I’m trying and thinking positive in any situation helps.
This was a great poem and will remember the gold that is in my life. Your vision board was sooo inspiring too, you did a great job on it. Funny thing is that I love love magazines and have tons so that will probably be how I do mine. Thanks for always helping and sharing your journey and feelings with us and keeping it real. It’s a blessing having you in my life.
FOR ZEWA, I HOPE YOU COME BACK AND READ THIS, PLEASE DON’T BE TOO HARD ON SOME OF THE SCRAP STARS, THEIR ARE SOME OUT THERE THAT SHARE THEIR LIFE STORIES. KAREN IS A TRUE GEM THOUGH AND HAS BEEN REAL RIGHT FROM THE START, SHE THANKFULLY KNOWS THAT HER STRUGGLES ARE MOST OF WHAT WE STRUGGLE WITH TOO AND SHE KNOWS SHE CAN HELP US AND KNOWS THAT TOGETHER WE LEARN AND STAND STRONG. I THINK SOME SCRAP STARS DON’T WANT TO SHARE THEIR PERSONAL LIFE AND AT FIRST IT BOTHERED ME AT TIMES TOO BUT THEY ALL HAVE THEIR REASONS, I KNOW MY GIRLS AS THEY ARE OLDER DON’T LIKE ME TO TALK TO PERSONAL ON MY BLOG ABOUT THEM AND OTHERS FEEL THAT WAY TOO. OTHERS FEEL THAT WE HAVE SAD/BAD DAYS ALREADY IN OUR LIVES AT TIMES SO WHY NOT MAKE THEIR BLOG A HAPPY PLACE TO COME AND SEE AND BE FREE TO RELAX AND ENJOY FOR THOSE MOMENTS. I HOPE THIS HELPS A LITTLE AND HOPE IT WAS OK TO SAY MY THOUGHTS ON THIS SUBJECT. I REALLY LIKED WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY AND YOU DID IT VERY WELL. FOR ANYONE WHO STUMBLES ACROSS KARENS BLOG WILL BE FOREVER CHANGED AND FIND MORE HAPPINESS IN THEIR LIVES, NO DOUBT. SHE IS TRULY THE BEST. GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOU DO.
KAREN THANK YOU AGAIN, MY FRIEND FOR ALWAYS BEING WHAT I NEED,
LOVE AND HUGS
DAWN
i’d like to think we were meant to find each other 🙂
Ha! It isn’t just me who feels inspired by you!!!!!!!!!!!!
My father, an extremely wise man, used to tell us as we were growing up: You cannot recognize ecstasy if you don’t know agony. Even if we create the agony, it is for a reason. It is where we need to be at any given moment for a second, in order to recognize the ecstasy, in order to be more grateful for all that we have.
You’re doing fine. Just fine.
wise wise man 🙂
This was so beautifully written. I love your use of words, and your message. I am putting this entry right on my desktop so that I can try to remember to remember this. :c) Thank you for sharing this!
thank you so so much! 🙂