Dear Athena, a long time ago now, my husband and I found ourselves in a position to do a good turn by a pair of your fellow Olympians. We didn’t discover that they were gods until after the fact, at which point they offered us a reward, suggesting a treasure trove of glittering prizes that we could choose in return for our kindness. But the truth was, and remains, that we didn’t want any of those things. We were happy together as we were, and wanted nothing more than the continuation of that happiness, the chance to grow old together and enjoy every moment of our ordinary existence. Our wish was their command. We couldn’t have dreamed of a better life.
These gods did leave one slight shadow in their wake. It dwelt in a dusty corner, looming a little larger each year. Wishes can be wonderful, but we all know that they must be made with care. We asked to grow old together and, well, we have. With the arrival of each grey hair, each wrinkle, each joint creak, comes the fear that the spell might be broken at any moment.
The light of our love has not been dimmed by the passage of time. Our deepest desire remains the same. To be happy together. Unfortunately the thought that we might have had our allotted time and that our separation may be imminent is starting to outweigh our general sense of contentment.
What we’re hoping for is some insight into the timeframe for divine blessings. Should we be readying ourselves for the future or making the most of the present? And what happens next? –blossoming_romance
Athena says: This is a bit different from our usual problems of the heart I must say! How lucky you both are to have found someone you want to spend eternity with.
I commend your caution with regard to divine beneficence – let that idea take root, readers, should some ever come your way. However, you’ll be glad to know that I think you may be barking up ever so slightly the wrong tree in worrying about the expiration date of your gift.
Mortals often forget the total lack of comprehension the gods have when it comes to human life (my good self being the exception to this of course). If you told the deities you helped that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together, then chances are that there is no ending to your blessing at all. They won’t for one moment have put themselves in your sandals. They will have thought only of what ‘life’ means to them.
It is possible that your request to grow old together may have been taken literally…
So, panic about the (literal) deadline over, but I’m afraid that there is something in your story that concerns me: your specific request to grow old together. There is a possibility that our mutual divine friends may have interpreted this literally. In other words, you may find yourselves growing old together until the end of time.
I apologise if this comes as a shock. You probably didn’t write to me expecting to be presented with a brand new concern. I do have some good news: that’s it for the bad news. The even better news is that I have a suggestion for how to make eternal life without eternal youth bearable: metamorphosis.
This change is merely a reimagining of your original gift
Regular readers will know that this is an old favourite solution of mine. I feel that I am branching out slightly though, after all, metamorphosis is usually reserved for individuals in a moment of crisis. For you and your husband, this change is merely a reimagining of your original gift. You can continue to grow old, continue to be together, but in bodies that are better suited to continuous aging: trees.
Now I realise that this is a significant step, you’ll want to take time to think about it – at least you’ve got plenty of that. But if you do decide that this change is what you want, then all it will take is a prayer.
So it turns out that the answer to your question about what happens next is entirely down to you, and no matter what, I’m sure that your love will remain evergreen.
Dear Athena 