This is what life expects of me…a birthday meditation

Birthday flowers 

 I believe in old age; to work and to grow old: this is what life expects of us. And then one day to be old and still be quite far from understanding everything - no, but to begin, but to love, but to suspect, but to be connected to what is remote and inexpressible, all the way up into the stars. (Letters on Life)

— Rainer Maria Rilke
To be old and still be quite far from understanding everything. I wonder…is this the seed from which humility grows? 
To begin…Each day, a new day to learn, relearn, unlearn.
To love…Yes, this. So simple, so complex. Urgent!
To suspect…This sounds negative in my western ears. Could it mean to be curious?
To be connected to what is remote and inexpressible….These days are a lesson in connection. Seeds, soil, plants, animals, individuals, environment, nations…
All the way up to the stars….Yes, even to the stars.
This….this is what life expects of me on this first day of a “new” year of life.