Bill,
I’m in my 50’s....
....what I pass on will be to my niece and nephew..... What that will be will be all the stories my mother, father, grannies told me of our family. Some written, some oral....maybe all written before I die. All the stories I’ve told and written. Pictures from as far back as the 1800’s. Quilts and the stories behind those quilts. Recipes from kitchens-—My 2 grannies, my mom’s and mine.
I’ll pass on a sense of humor, a total lack of fear of snakes and spiders, an ability to solve any task if given enough time and duct tape and a fear of left hand turns in heavy traffic. I’ll pass on a snarky sense of humor, an ability to spot liars and love of the color purple.
I’ll pass on lots of memories of playing with cockatoos, feeding chickens, petting cats, watching fish swim and taking walks in the woods. I’ll pass on a sense of individuality and a belief that being true to yourself is your best gift to the world. And that being different isn’t a bad thing, just different. Oh, and good manners takes a lot of work and often we don’t succeed.
I’ll pass on my home, my land, my costumes, my choreographies, my collections of fabric, music and teapots....the jewelry pieces that I collected with lots of planning and my Christmas ornaments dated back to my first days away from home. ;)
As for being alone, to you it’s a bad thing, to me, it’s like a trip to Disney. Believe me, solitude for some is far far better than being around people that you don’t enjoy or want to be around-— Hell is being with someone that you can’t reveal your true heart to— so your moments become restrained and guarded, unreal and dishonest, and it hurts two instead of one......
If I had to choose between being alone or being with someone just to be with someone, then I’d be insane to choose anything else but alone.
My Dear Woman much of what you say, I am ten years older than you, sounds like an excuse.