Self-Portraits: Teenage and Middle Age (Pilgrimage and Jubilee)

 

I sketched these self-portraits 

over 30 years apart,

in late 1980 and early 2012.

I just found the first one in my files.

And I think:

How has my life changed?

At 17, youthful and idealistic,

determined and confident,

enigmatic and curious,

ready to conquer the world.

I started college early, 

just a few months after this portrait.

And a few months after that, still 17,

I moved far away from home.

(Silly me!)

At 48, I was older (for sure) 

and wiser (I hope).

In some ways, I've hardened.

I've seen a lot of tough stuff.

Maybe it's made me cynical.

Just a teeny bit - or a whole lot?

Yet in some ways, I have softened, too.

I think I'm less rigid, more mellow.

Understanding.  Compassionate.

At least sometimes.

And now at 50?

Life changes even in two years.

Time marches on.

What will life be like in five years?

Ten and twenty and thirty?

It will be interesting to go back through 

my old journals and notebooks. 

What was I thinking?

How was I doing at

processing my experiences?

What can I learn about myself

that will carry me into the future

with greater expectancy and effectiveness?

What about you?

Have you taken the chance

to look back, to look forward?

Oh, all that reminds me...

I updated my About Me page.

Take a peek: Who Am I?

This post is part of my Pilgrimage and Jubilee series,

looking back on my 50 years.

I just added a whole bunch of older posts to this category.

Here is a sampling from my growing up years:

Childhood Memories: Our Kansas City Years

Hazel Waterman

My Story of Liberty in 1976

My Odyssey from “Renaissance” to “Reformation”

My Artwork

And here are two poems from the series:

This Is My Song and I Sing

Pilgrimage and Jubilee