Today The World Turned Green
- M. Linda Graham
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Retirement Day #2395
April 30, 2026
“Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment” – Mary Oliver
For 57 of my 68yrs, my life’s rhythm was bound to the academic calendar. This professional life meant that when the earth underwent that profound, rapid, beautiful metamorphosis called “seasonal change,” I was immersed up to my mortar board in the obligatory craziness of curriculum, conferences, committees, classes, exams, meetings, projects, proposals, advising, rehearsals, performances, projects, tours and travel. For most of those 57yrs, I suspected I was missing something but never had the time to consider what.
Until now. Beginning with the fall of 2019, I’ve thrilled to witness the changing leaves and blooming flowers. I find turtles with my dog, groom my horse’s changing coat, and don’t look at my watch. Together, we explore, harvest, discover and live into this relentless, magical cycle of Mother Earth, pausing to inhale the changing scents on the shifting wind – from blooming lilacs to melting poo.
The 7yr itch: The “7-year life cycle theory” maintains that our mortal lives unfold in seven-year stages, with each period marked by physical, emotional, and intellectual transformations. In other words, every 7yrs we undergo a significant personal / life shift. Biology supports this: human cells replace themselves every seven years-ish. So, it comes as no surprise that in this, my 7th year of retirement, I finally feel the cadence of the man-made academic calendar recede as the power of nature’s rhythm takes precedence, and it feels so good.
This won’t last – bad shit will happen – but right now I’m content – please don’t hate me.
To all of you who are in the icky-thick of life, scrambling, deciding which bills to prioritize, cleaning up someone else’s vomit while wondering if you’ll ever get a full night’s sleep again: I feel your frantic exhaustion. I’ve been there, from being a driven young professional to a sleep-deprived single mama working crazy hours while raising two littles, to founding a dance company and chairing a college program - all while attempting to keep my flickering creative flame from being obliterated under the oxygen depriving weight of administrivia and stress. To you, I say:
Your day will come, and I pray that someday you too may pause without feeling like you’re wasting time and breathe without feeling guilty as you close your eyes to acknowledge the touch of changing winds.
Today, the world turned green.
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