WILDLY FREE ELDER
The Artistry of Aging
Elder Muse/Day 24: Climate Surprise -Do We Really Know?
IMAGE: Tree bark contains microbes that absorb methane from the atmosphere. Viswaprem Anbarasapandian – Unsplash
Tree lover? I have been all of my life. The love affair and companionship has just grown stronger as I have aged right along with the trees. Fortunate to be surrounded by them now in every direction I look, I acknowledge they are our guardians, protectors and wise guides on so many levels.
in reading a recent article entitled: Trees Reveal Climate Surprise: Bark Removes Methane from the Environment, I wasn’t surprised to learn of yet another gift that trees bestow upon this planet we all inhabit.
“A surprise discovery from the University of Birmingham shows that we may be significantly underestimating the potential of trees to regulate the variables of climate change.
That’s because they found microbes living inside trees’ bark absorb the greenhouse gas methane about as significantly as microbes living in the soil.”
~Professor Vincent Gauci of U. Birmingham led the study, published in the journal Nature.
One small bit of awareness in the mystery that encompasses all life here and in the vaster cosmos. As humans we often want to nail down facts and in some cases bend them to our will, keep them static. Yet our insatiable curiosity keeps stirring the desire to “know more” and thus “discoveries” continue.
The other side of this is what happens when we operate out of fear and “knowing” – a kind of knowing that is not founded on what is true right now, but instead on speculation, assumption, and the inability to accept that mystery and ever changing abundant possibility is a part of life.
Do you remember the scare and resultant panic many were in when the century changed from the 1900’s to the 2000’s? Perhaps the primal brain was in charge then.
Below is an example of ecological “estimates” that have been magnified out of all proportions. Yes, plastics are in everything now and it is important to eliminate usage as much as possible, but do we really “know” what their impact is now, and will be in the future?
Speculation can encourage effective action, but it can also create panic and chaos.
“It’s not the first time scientists have made estimations regarding climate change and come up incorrect in the wrong way. Climate scientists in the Netherlands recently found that previous estimates about how much plastic entered the oceans over the last 20 years are probably exaggerated by three thousand percent.”
This highlights for me the tendency for humans, even in scientific studies, to state conclusions about “climate change” and the state of our environment as absolutes and most often fear based. This goes on in other domains as well. We end up going up and down like a roller coaster with the constantly changing theories, assumptions and opinions.
When it comes down to it there is always a multitude of possibilities operating. As well as the mystery of just how this beloved planet of ours has sustained itself over millions of years with massive climate changes occurring. We think we know, make assumptions, or even give opinions based on the scientific method yet do we really “know”?
All we know is that everything is always, always changing, collaborating, dying and regenerating in ways we cannot even conceive of.
When we read what is presented as facts through mainstream sources, even the article/study that I linked to in this post, I am reminded to brush up on critical and creative thinking skills and question what is being presented….as well as be open to surprise!
Acknowledging that we won’t ever know for certain – even after doing our research and making grounded assessments – for nothing stays the same. Meaningfully coming to conclusions and actions that match with our values and beliefs for these moments in time with a willingness to stay open and curious.
When it comes right down to it a partnership of creative and critical thinking is a powerful way to ground, create, and expand at the same time. Especially needed right now….
My conclusion with all of this is: PLANT MORE TREES AND ENJOY THEM!
South Yuba River, N. California/Photography by Gaye Abbott
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, 08/07/24
Elder Muse/Day 23: Aging Beauty
This post is dedicated to women especially. A reminder that the essence of who we are shines even more brightly once “cultural standards” are surrendered and released as we accept another kind of beauty. One that is so much more about who we have become and are becoming.
The Japanese say – Shi Bui – which translates as the beauty of aging.
Rather than being a fall away from beauty in all of it’s meanings, aging can be the revelation of beauty, the time when the inner radiance becomes visible. The words below struck me this morning as a tap on the shoulder to celebrate the beauty I am now and shine forth….
Aging looks good on anyone who believes that it does.
It’s an inner light kind of deal.
It shines through skin, bone, muscle and sinew – bathing everything you see in a luminous glow of peace, acceptance and utter loveliness.
It’s some sort of chemical reaction when self-love (at last) meets Mother Nature.
Then wisdom and hindsight all join together too and cast their magic –
until what you see is a woman who has evolved, grown, learned and risen many many times.
And it’s a beautiful sight to behold.
So, age however you like because if something is not making you happy, that will show.
Time can’t erase your beauty my friend, only negativity can do that.
– Donna Ashworth
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
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 08/06/24
Elder Muse/Day 22: Coming To Our Senses
Sunrise, Blue Ridge Mountains, Western N. Carolina/Photography by Gaye Abbott
“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
~Rachel Carson
There have been daily thunderstorms here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western N. Carolina. Lightning streaking down from the clouds, drenching rain, and powerful winds tossing everything about.
Thunderstorms activate all senses demanding that the elements creating this artistry not be ignored. The dog and kitty I am caring for hate these storms, but I adore them for their magnificence. There is such uncontained power, yet also the ability to cause destruction and harm.
Thunderstorm in Blue Ridge Mountains
Nature constantly reminds us how vulnerable and fragile humans are in the face of changing weather patterns often wiping away our efforts to encroach upon the wild. A highly wise force to bring us back to taking care of and respecting what gives us life.
Coming back to our senses.
All life is constantly unfolding and changing. Perhaps the storms are a way to remind us of that. To test our resilience in the face of powerful forces that change the way we live each day. To pay attention with eyes wide open.
To remind us that when we shift the natural balance of nature through human interventions, we change the landscape of our own well being.
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
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Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 08/05/24
Elder Muse/Day 21: The Light of the Universe
“Every day you play with the light of the universe.”
~Pablo Neruda
“You do not belong to you. You belong to the universe. The significance of you will remain forever obscure to you, but you may assume you are fulfilling your significance if you apply yourself to converting all your experience to the highest advantage of others.
Make the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone. Nature is a totally efficient, self-regenerating system. If we discover the laws that govern this system and live synergistically within them, sustainability will follow and humankind will be a success.
Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person.”
~Buckminister Fuller.
Be that one person. Direct and simple guidance to the heart of our being.
Isn’t it fascinating how often we spontaneously, or dare I say magically, come across something that helps to move us over an inner threshold that felt stuck in mental clutter. This morning I was mired in the seemingly more challenging facets of what it is to be human, and an elder, right now in our Earth’s unfolding.
We all need expanding and reminding at times. I know I do. To get out of our own way and remember that our daily actions, thoughts and uniqueness does matter.
Thank you Buckminister Fuller!
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 07/31/24
Elder Muse/Day 20:Paying Attention
Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given; gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us. David Whyte
The adolescent bear scampered down the tree and broke into a run down the road with the doggie I am caring for running as fast as she could after it. She gave it a good doggie try but black bears can run up to 35 MPH so there was no doubt who would win the race.
Black Bear/Blue Ridge Mountain Tree
I share this as paying attention with all of our senses awake is a much richer and more creative way to live the moments of our lives. Especially when walking in bear country which keeps one out of situations where nature and wildlife have an edge. Simple but perhaps challenging to do regularly in this over stimulus world we presently live in.
As David Whyte says in the quote above, gratitude arises from “being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without”.
There were simple lessons here for me. Trusting a dogs sense of smell and actions telling me clearly that indeed bear, or some wildlife, was nearby; and the importance of paying attention with all of my senses wide awake without distractions.
Yes, you probably guessed, I didn’t look up but simply scanned the area around us. All were safe including the bear, and I am certain Reese the dog had an experience that made her day. Active gratitude with lessons!
I sometimes wonder about all that I am missing by not paying attention within and without in this mindful sense oriented way.
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://the wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 08/03/24
Elder Muse/Day 19: A Village of Elders
A village without the elderly is like a well without water. Meaning: What water is to a well, elders are to a society.
African Proverb
Throughout most of my life the elders in my village were honored and respected. Without them the community would not have substance or grounding. Vision or wisdom. Rites of passage for the young, or awareness of the life beyond this one.
We were the chosen ones simply because we had traveled many paths to get to the most aged of years when all became clear and transparent….even beyond the veil of mystery shrouding the unexplainable.
Everyone knew we were the source and the resource. The best story tellers keeping everyone transfixed as we sat around the fire at night bathed by the stars and moonlight. The drumbeat and call of the panther our background music.
Because of this our communities thrived based on the wisdom we possessed that was followed, respected and treasured by all. Everyone knew that one day, if fortunate enough, they would also be an elder.
Our simple life depended on honoring and respecting the natural world surrounding us. We have always known we were made of earth, fire, water, wind and stars.
How could we not be for when we die we return to those same elements.
Then it all changed when a society different from our own thought they knew what was best for us and became too busy to care. We are the ancient ones who cannot be replaced by taking away our dignity.
We have a voice that can be heard throughout the cosmos based on eons of life upon this earth. We know who we are and are not afraid to stand tall and look you in the eyes. A gaze so intensely real that no one can look away.
What we tell you can only be transmitted if you are courageous enough to gaze back with your entire being.
What are you receiving now?
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://the wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 08/02/24
Elder Muse/Day 18: No Net Will Appear
Crossing over a threshold from one stage of life, or even in one single moment, can be disorienting. It may be a subtle transition over time or a sudden wake up call that you are now in Emerald City, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, and nothing is really the same.
Once you decide to avoid your comfort zones and take off into unknown territory the next story of your life begins.
Not, “the net will appear”, but instead realizing all of a sudden there is NO NET to catch you or break your fall….you are attached to a bungee cord!
Instead you will spring back, not to where you started from but perhaps to see life from a new perspective. Minus the “knowing”, control, expectations and filters. You are given another opportunity.
Rather like the time I was hiking the old Hawaiian trail on the Napali coast where one wrong step taken in fear would have taken me over the cliff side to my death in the churning waves far below.
I certainly didn’t have a bungee cord or hiking ropes attached to me, but instead realized what was necessary was an absolute trust in my ability to cross the threshold, the narrow trail taking a 90-degree turn with wind blowing, into a different perspective of my life. Taken one step at a time.
Sound like your life these days? Once we cross over a threshold of sorts there is no way back to where we came from nor to whom we identified ourselves to be. That day on the trail transformed completely who I thought I was and the direction my life was to take.
Becoming and evolving as an elder in our present day culture is a little like jumping off of that bridge or hiking a narrow trail with nothing to hang onto. Thrill seekers aside, it just seems like there is one opportunity after another. What I would call thresholds.
How we navigate this new territory can be very revealing if we choose to bring awareness along for the ride. Not old patterns of thinking and being, but instead a sense of adventure, acceptance, and a vibrant curiosity especially in challenging circumstances.
The jumping off point, or the steps one takes over the threshold, bring you home. What is that?
My beloved friend who died suddenly at the beginning of 2023 said “we are all walking each other home”. Now that could mean until we leave our embodiment here, or into the self revelation of just how magnificent we are in our newly discovered wholeness and what we will do with that.
You choose…..
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://the wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 08/01/24
Elder Muse/Day 17: A Few Words On Aging
“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”
~Henry David Thoreau
In June of 2020 I launched the WildlyFreeElder website and community in the midst of the pandemic. It was my way to reach out globally, to connect elders, and to hone my creative artistry.
The first launch post is below along with one of my very favorite Reflections of Life (previously Green Renaissance) short videos.
You can’t help but fall in love with Maureen and her enthusiasm for life with her red sports car, red hat, jazzy piano playing, and sense of humor! Enjoy!
The natural evolution of an embodied human is to change with each year we are here. Not just physically, but within the heart of our emotions and in the deepest energetic recesses of our mind, thinking and creative potential.
For some this is a very conscious process. An unfolding of acceptance, transparency, trust and surrender revealing our life path. Every year brings new opportunities and awareness.
Some accept the societal story and common narrative of aging, or impulsively seek the next “anti-aging” supplement or practice which denies what is a natural process for all living beings.
The continuum of birth to death reveals a pathway uniquely our own. No one else has our challenges, experiences, opportunities and possibilities.
For some this is a short spectrum and filled with challenges that can’t simply be overcome with facing them head on. Acceptance of disabilities, dis-ease and even death are at the forefront during these final embodied years.
Impermanence beckons us from everywhere. We see it in nature, our friends and loved ones, the animals special to us and at every turn of life. Everything ages and dies within the cycles and rhythms of life here on Earth.
What our unique path will be is simply a matter of perception and is revealed in our unfolding life moments. That we will transition in death at some point is inevitable.
Many of us have been blessed with more embodied life moments to dig deep and find our passions buried beneath complacency, fixed identities that do not honor the wild soul inside, and ungrounded fears. Free of the pressures and stresses of youth and mid-life we are invited into the stage of elderhood.
Elder saturated in the experiences, wisdom and innate sense of belonging, woven with an unrelenting sense of humor that surfaces in a multitude of moments during our days no matter what chronological age we are.
Being an Elder is not defined by age, but rather Elders are recognized because they have earned the respect of their community through wisdom and actions or their teachings; through the vibrancy that radiates out from their presence and the unique artistry that only they can bring into the world.
Let us return to acknowledging elders in the fullest sense of the powerful presence they can be and are becoming. Respecting the life artistry that has been necessary to bring them to where they are today.
As we ripen into our aging beauty may we be heard, seen and respected for what we have to offer. May we trust and respect our own becoming with grace, curiosity and surrender.…and a strong dose of humor!
The time is now to free yourself into the wildness of elderhood. To ground who you are and what you have to bring into the very center of your being in spite of the challenges, or better yet because of the challenges!
You have stories to tell, wisdom to share and artistry to impart.
Don’t die now….before you die!
Maureen does not believe in giving up on life’s pleasures simply because you think you are too old. For her, becoming an enthusiastic person is a choice we make. It’s a mindset. It’s an approach to life. Don’t set life behind you. Try new things and be sure to keep doing all the things that give you pleasure.
Filmed in Napier, South Africa by Reflections of Life (previously Green Renaissance)
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://the wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 07/31/24
Elder Muse/Day 16: (RE)CONNECT to Wild Places
Salmon Creek Beach, N. California/Photography by Gaye Abbott
Here in the Blue Ridge Mountains I am taking care of a clients home, dog and kitty, nestled in the side of the mountain. It is peaceful, incredibly beautiful and a sanctuary for the soul. There was a rain lashing thunderstorm this morning which had the dog and kitty glued to me for the duration.
Afterwards we ventured out on a walk with the heady scent of earth and water soaked trees, plant life and flowers lingering in the air. Breathing with the earth moving through our feet and paws.
Lizzie and Reese
The video below was created and published during the pandemic when the only solace seemed to be nature. Even that was prohibited where I was living during the “lock-down” as the air was so polluted from wild fires that it was not healthy to even take a walk outside. Yes, I lived in Northern California at the time and the effects from the global pandemic linger still and probably will for years to come.
Let’s not forget the wild places….
The healing, soothing, and peace of mind that comes from being out in nature, in the wild, or even just in your garden. It is a primal feeling of coming back to who we are, to reconnect to the soul of our being and what we are made of. Returning to the rhythms of nature, the cycles of the seasons, the circles of life….
Filmed in South Africa by Reflections of Life
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://the wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 07/30/24
Elder Muse/Day 15: Silent As A Piece of Paper….
Photography by Gaye Abbott
“Silent as a piece of paper that has been erased of all its words.” From “The Mountains Sing”
Well, I have hit the mid-way mark of 31 straight days of posts through Elder Muse….and I am still sitting here wondering what I will share today. I am indeed experiencing the “silence of a piece of paper that has been erased of all its words. “
But what possibility there. Freedom to be in the moment. A witness to what is evolving. Open for life to surprise and delight. Seeing the beauty of ordinary things.
If all of the words are erased from a piece of paper the content of what was there dissolves and a new story can then be created. The void that is yearning to be filled loses its seductive power to fill it before appreciating what is showing up moment to moment.
Gazing out at the rounded Blue Ridge Mountains, the sound of wind blowing through the trees, a flicker of movement attracts my attention to the right. And then the paper is no longer silent….
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 how you can be of service.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention and attend with open artistry. ~Gaye Abbott
If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/
Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 07/29/24
WILDLY FREE ELDER 