Be Our Guest - Barb Brookbank

by Dotti

Our Guest Blogger for October is Barb Brookbank who is part of our family here at FOL. She has her own wonderful blog, Keeping With The Times and you can follow her on Instagram @keepingupblog. Since she has told us a bit about herself in today's post, I'll just turn this page over to her so you can read her story and see her wonderful photos.

Hello there! I’m Barb, a Canadian woman of a certain age, who is simply trying to navigate gracefully through this maze we call life!  Today I thought I would share a personal story about how I’m coping with getting older. But first I’d like to say a huge thank you to the amazing women at Focusing on Life. I’m extremely honoured to be chosen as one of their guest bloggers.

So here’s my little story.

Eight years ago, I reached a rather large milestone in the birthday department. I wasn’t thrilled about growing older, but neither was I agonizing over it. However, as quite often happens in my life, all it took was one small incident to send me into a tailspin.

I was going to visit my older sister and I was very excited since we hadn’t seen each other for several months. My first impression when I saw her was “wow” she looks fabulous! Her face was smooth and her skin looked beautiful. She seemed thinner, and she had the perkiest short haircut ever! When I told her how great she looked, she freely admitted that she had “had some work done”.

Oh, my. I did not expect that. I was caught totally unawares.

I have to say I did a fantastic job of hiding my shock, which quickly turned to dismay when I later went to the bathroom and took a good look at my own face. Really? Is this what we have to do now? Before I go any further, please don’t get me wrong here. If I had the money, and the courage, I just might consider a nip and a tuck here or there. We can dream about the dewy freshness of youth, can we not?

I did not sleep a wink that night. As I tossed and turned, I agonized over the fact that I was aging and there wasn’t a darn thing I could do about it. I knew I wouldn’t be “having any work done” and it became painfully obvious to me that I was in for some turmoil, and that I would not be able to reconcile all my emotions any time soon.

But life continued on, as it has a tendency to do, and among other things, I read up on the process of aging. One of the best resources I found was “Healthy Aging” by Andrew Weil, MD. It struck a chord with me; it was down-to-earth, practical advice. I also read and reread “Younger by the Day” by Victoria Moran. This entertaining book is all about looking after oneself, and keeping a positive mental attitude. I totally love it.

Then, other things started to happen. Fate (in the form of my daughters and husband) introduced me to digital photography. I started with a small point and shoot, but it wasn’t long until I invested in my first DSLR. Not surprisingly, as it turned out, it wasn’t the camera I had invested in; it was me. From there on, endless opportunities seemed to stretch out to the horizon.

Never did I envision the amazing things that would happen after that. I was determined to learn how to use the camera in manual mode, so I took classes at our local college, read photography books, and got out there and practiced. I chuckle when I think back at how clueless I was in the beginning; I didn’t even know how to turn the camera on! Gradually, things started to click, and I felt like I was on fire. I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning. There were so many things I wanted to capture; feathery snowflakes, pristine spring flowers, breathtaking summer sunsets, and brilliant autumn leaves.

When I started my blog “Keeping With The Times”, it served to fan the flames of my photography obsession. I found myself on a continuous learning curve; photography, Photoshop, and blogging. It now consumes my days, and my thoughts. Most mornings I can hardly wait to get out of bed; ideas that were percolating all night wake me up at 5:00 a.m. and won’t let me sleep. I work on projects from morning ‘til night, and I love every single minute of it. There is so much more I want to see, and try, and learn. It seems there is never enough time in the day to do it all, and who knows what other exciting things lay ahead?

As I look back over the past eight years, I’d have to say that I have never felt more creatively inspired in my whole life, and I am so incredibly thankful. In the words of author Gail Sheehy, I would refer to my last decade as “the flaming fifties”, and it’s not over yet. I plan to soar into my sixties.

I’ve made peace with the mirror, and I feel blessed.

Thank you, Barb, for being our guest today and for sharing such an inspirational story and your beautiful photographs! It's a joy to have you as part of our community.