Saturday, March 27, 2010

hanging on



you are the
fresh new shoot
budding out
bursting with life
youthful
vigorous


i am the
withered old fruit
hanging on
steeped in wisdom
experienced
enduring


i will
embrace your energy
sidestep your ambition
forgive your
youthful mistakes
encourage you to grow

 
will you
acknowledge my worth
let me keep my dignity
understand my
vulnerability
learn from what i offer



i've patiently waited for over a month to capture the above photo. there are three of these crabapple trees in the secluded courtyard of my workplace. somehow the birds never found the crabapples over the winter and all three trees are still loaded with last year's fruit.  i couldn't wait for the new spring leaves to bud out so i could witness the new co-existing with the old. and, all along i composed in my head the blog post that would accompany the photo. i felt in my heart, the message i wanted to convey. if you're a frequent visitor of this blog you may remember a few posts about trying to survive/compete in a youth-oriented competitive corporate business environment. above is the message i would love to share with my young co-workers. many are wonderfully supportive and team-oriented. others strive to put me in my place, devalue my worth and succeed at others' expense. that competitive spirit often has me questioning my desire to continue on the corporate battlefield. but, most days i find renewed strength to quietly hold on, intelligently fight back and most of all, do it with grace.

whatever stage of life you're in, i hope you'll find it in your heart to have compassion for others. without compassion, your life will be much less fulfilling and memorable. you may succeed but at what price?





8 comments:

lori vliegen said...

beautiful post, julie! i love your photo.....and your sentiments are perfectly expressed, as always!!! thank you! :))

Renee Troy said...

Love the poem...your patience is endearing. The photo is wonderful!

ArtistUnplugged said...

A really great post, the photo was well worth waiting for....march on!

chiccoreal said...

Julie: What an amazing picture! You inspire me! Being of that "age" which some say is middling I begin to wonder; why are women not as valued as men? I am not currently in the corporate workforce, however, if I can get a biz off the ground, maybe. The mentoring programs for our age group is probably non-existent. Why? We have to start at the beginning to realize why and this would take a heated debate on Women's Issues. I am all about fair play and I so appreciate your inspiring photo and words today! Yes, newness is grafting onto my old form and it is called freedom from discrimination, be it ageism, sexism, disability-ism. Whatever "ism". Powerful stuff, Julie, thanks!

Cindy said...

i love your poem, but this part is not you -

'i am the
withered old fruit'

no way!

Felicia Monique said...

I love the poem, photo, and ending request. Life without compassion is not worth living...

steviewren said...

Great post, spot on! How I will be received in the workplace once our office is closed has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm at the age when some might think hiring someone younger would be more desirable. But when the time comes I will face the challenge head on.

Kerri Jean said...

That could not have been better put. Lovely poem. perfect sentiment. we all have value and talents that put to their best use enhance and compliment each other.