Category: Conscious Aging

Day 7: Elder Muse – Embracing Moments

“As I took in the poem I realized that instead of expanding awareness in that moment it felt like a spiritual admonishment of sorts. Glancing over at the plant stand in my bedroom I spied a bumper sticker that I keep there which says “Don’t Postpone Joy”.

The use of “do not” makes me feel a little like a child that is being told to please wake up and listen or tend to the moment more fully. That I simply wasn’t adhering to the precepts for Conscious Life 101, especially as a supposedly wiser elder.”

Day 6: Elder Muse -The Elder’s Journey

” There are no elder rites of passage in our mainstream culture. In fact we must create one for ourselves. Our own unique rites of passage – not a one size fits all.

Opening into a conscious approach to growing older we may still ask the question of ourselves “how do I want to live my life?”. Not “doing what you love” as a profession or job, but instead the question to live in is what opens our heart, inspires our creativity, and brings us peace of mind.”

Day 5/Elder Muse: Pillars of Creation

“We often think of space and the Universe as “out there” as if it’s there and we are here, as if Earth is separate from the rest of the Universe – but we are technically “in space” right now. The Earth and our solar system is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old. The Universe is everything. Everything includes….”

Day 1: Elder Muse -Life Is A Marvelous Gift!

“The porch vantage point offers a front row seat to the unfolding moment. The leaves left on the almost bare trees acting as nature’s wind chimes giving witness to the ever changing cloud formations dancing across the expanse of blue, almost like playing tag with each other.

Rain during the night has left a glistening freshness to the air. I breathe in deeply and notice the fecund smell of earth freshly christened with…..”

The Wisdom of Not Knowing

“:Driving home from a temporary job yesterday I was weary and looked forward to arriving home to a friends home where I was house sitting for the week. Then it happened all in an instant.

A brilliant rainbow presented in the sky over the Blue Ridge mountain range entwined with buckets of rain pouring down scattered here and there making driving a bit treacherous. I so wanted….”

Breathing Connection

“When we consider that the cosmos is doing our breathing for us it reflects an unlimited potential for freedom.  The deep interconnection with everything around and beyond us feeds and nourishes our individual and interconnected lives at a level so vast that it is rather mind boggling to me.  Imagine that when you are asleep (and awake!) there is…..”

Attention Is The Beginning of Devotion

“If asked what my first thoughts are as I awake each morning this is what I say. Gratitude for waking up and feeling the breath fill my body, and in the Spring how much I love the sweet sound of birdsong outside my bedroom window. After preparing green jasmine tea my writing notebook finds its place on my lap with fountain pen poised as I gaze out at the River Birch outside my bedroom window. The question posed each and every morning is “where will I place my attention today?”….

Just Be It

“They were walking slowly with poles in hand, the husband watching that his wife negotiated the hill before her. Seeing their slow and somewhat shaky pace on a very narrow trail I cut across the grassy slope, which was much steeper, so that I could be ahead of them and went on my way leaving them behind.

A bit later they were heading towards me on the trail and I was able to see more clearly the shirt that the woman wore which said in big bold letters “JUST DO IT!”…..

Love With Your Whole Body

“The vibrant energy of the pink blossoms continue to stop me in my tracks every time I come or go from my small home sanctuary. For this magnificent cherry tree in the image above is right outside the front door to my house.

This morning those 100’s of blossoms made me stop for more intimate moments of connection. To simply fall in love with the beauty of this light filled Spring day and my place in it….”

Acceptance, Letting Go….and Discovery

“It all seemed to embrace, acceptance, letting go, trust, choice and most definitely discovery. As I age it seems that these moments are coming more often. A choice to let go of “the way I have always been” to explore new territory…..”