Elder Muse/Day 29: How Are You, Really?

A Fading Rose/Photography by Nikolyn McDonald

Each morning at the end of my writing practice I write a last line – “All Is Well”….but sometimes it is not.

As we age one thing is for certain – that we will be faced with many challenges, often of a physical nature as our bodies naturally succumb to the wear and tear we have subjected them to over the years.

Some of us will be more fortunate than most whether through genetics, lifestyle choices, where we live, or even our ability to walk a healthier pathway due to economic privilege.

When something is out of balance whether in our bodies/minds/emotions, social injustice, or in our environment, the first remedies or solutions that come to mind are to treat the symptoms or to ignore it all together hoping it will simply go away.

We see it every day in the suggested solutions to climate change, gender and racial injustice, or even when we pop a pill to alleviate symptoms of something that is uncomfortable for us. Looking deeper and wider for the roots of what we are challenged by may often seem more focused work than we are willing to spend time on.

How often do we say “I’m fine” to the question “How are you?”?

It is here in our daily interactions that we can go deeper within ourselves, and with each person we connect with, by giving spaciousness and compassionate attention. To allow simply “being” in the emotions that are present by asking the question, “How are you, really?”.

Through our sensitivities we often know when our friends and family members, or even a stranger we meet, are not fine. Our Western culture has lead us down a path of superficiality in interacting with each other.

We can change that….go deeper and ask a different question.

“One of the most important aspects of being human is the fact that we have feelings – all day long. From childhood we are taught to stop being sad or to hold in our anger. But these emotions always find a way to leak out, sometimes in the form of self-criticism or depression. We need to learn to acknowledge our emotions, and to be compassionate and kind to ourselves when these feelings arise. And you will learn an important lesson in life: how to reveal and heal what you feel.

Given the anxiety that most of us are feeling given the state of the world, now more than ever, we need to find ways to share and express how we feel. So, how are you, really?”

This film features Elrieda Pillmann. Filmed in Botrivier, South Africa by Reflections of Life.

We are Michael and Justine – passionate filmmakers, living off-grid and dedicating our time to making films that we hope will inspire and share positivity out into the world.

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31 days of Daily Elder Muse blog posts accessed from the unfolding of the day – not planned or scheduled. Yes, the Muse is back again during this powerful and challenging shift time on our planet. May these words, stories and images assist you to remember who you are….and where to place your attention. ~Gaye Abbott

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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 08/12/24