Eat Brownies Daily: Kristin Jackson
Kristin Jackson is a writer and former Seattle Times travel editor. Kristin also shared a memory from her travels in an evocative essay that we featured in 2021.
Driving down a steep Seattle hill, we looked across the city and spotted the Space Needle a couple of miles away. “Look, there’s the little Space Needle,” my daughter, then 5 years old, cried out. “Remember we were at the big Space Needle last week?”
“Honey, it’s all the same Space Needle,” I said rather condescendingly. “It just looks smaller or bigger depending on how far away we are.” My daughter shook her head firmly. No, there are lots of different Space Needles, she insisted.
Her dad, a physicist, was delighted by our daughter’s concept of many Space Needles. Parallel realities, different space-time continuums, he mused, his scientific brain churning with her different way of seeing the world. Lots and lots of Space Needles, they happily agreed.
For years afterward, we’d point out the big Space Needle, the little Space Needle, the medium Space Needle, the tiny Space Needle. We even made up stories about the invisible Space Needle, about why it was hiding.
Now that I’m in my 70s, my life has the equivalent of many Space Needles. Ten-year-old me, 20-year-old me, 45-year-old me are all going strong in my parallel worlds. Time and memories don’t feel linear.
Best of all, these multitudes of me make 72-year-old me happy. I’ve begun to see myself much more kindly, to recognize my successes and deeply appreciate my life. Certainly, there were hard times and bad decisions. But I’ve come out the other side and I’m feeling quietly content.
Too often, the world sees older people in terms of what we’re losing — less energy, less mobility, less hair, less everything. What a blessing to find age can bring a new, happier perspective.
I was posed three questions. Here are my answers, in light of my newly-found contentment:
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Here are some of the big ones — and I wish I had heeded these when I was young:
- Take more chances, seize more adventures.
- Speak positively to yourself, and stop comparing yourself to other people.
- Cherish your friends and family, even the difficult ones.
- Find work or activities that feel satisfying and meaningful.
- Take care of your body and your mind. Health underlies everything.
What wisdom would you share with a younger person about aging and what it means?
Aging can bring self-knowledge and contentment. Look forward to that.
Of course, there are tradeoffs. Just when you finally get things figured out, aging lands a bunch of gut punches. Family and friends die; stamina and health decline. No one can stop the aging clock, so find pleasure in what you still have — and keep trying new and different things.
Revel in the memories of your life and loved ones. My parents and my husband died decades ago, yet I still feel their presence so strongly and regularly talk to them in my heart and mind. And sometimes we’re in complete agreement!
What does the next, possibly last, chapter of your life look like?
I know that I’m in a honeymoon period of aging. I’ve got enough money, a comfortable place to live, dear friends and family. I can still travel and hike (albeit much more slowly). I’m discovering new activities, from singing in a choir to volunteering.
I know that can all change in a moment. Ill health may curtail my life, eventually confine me to the couch. But think of all the books and movies and phone calls that can still be enjoyed. And I will eat chocolate brownies daily.
When I was young, I often projected into the future, thinking I’d be happier if I got a new job, got thinner, moved to a new city. Now I’m trying hard to live in the “be here now.” Although with the happy remembrance of things past.