WILDLY FREE ELDER
The Artistry of Aging
Tag: Artistry of Aging
Day 12: Elder Muse – Dancing With Trees
“A very young voice filtered out from the trees at the local Nature Park where I walk every morning, only 2 blocks from my home. 4-year-old Liam and his father were out in nature for some father and son time this cloudy Sunday morning.
When I engaged with Liam, back pack on and a map in his hand, he told me that they were looking for acorns to plant in the park so more trees could grow. ….”
Day 11: Elder Muse – The Peace of Wild Things
“There is much to despair of in this world and if attended too frequently can cause us to lose our way. In this poem Wendell Berry brings us the antidote …..”
Day 8: Elder Muse – The Art of Cursive Writing
“Every morning for many years my writing practice fills 2-3 pages in cursive handwriting using a fountain pen. Nothing fancy, just a 3 ring notebook with lined paper. The ink flowing on the page, the pressure needed, the letters connected together bringing me great pleasure. I am extremely saddened that my grandchildren have never been taught cursive writing as it has been taken out of their schools. Everything they do is digital.”
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 4/Elder Muse: Circles of Motion
“I begin this days Elder Muse post with the poem above. Indeed, I perceive life in its entirety as a regenerative flow of energy in constant motion. The beauty takes my breath away as light weaves a tapestry with shadow.
More now than ever before I feel the fragility that is embodied life. Moments are precious…..”
Day 3/Elder Muse: Spirits Don’t Age!
“I invite you to meet Eileen Kramer through her movement, her words…..and even what is not being spoken but is so apparent – her creative Spirit – in the video below filmed when she was 103.”
Day 2/Elder Muse: Seek Silence
“What does silence mean to you? Is it something you fear and fill up with distractions? Or is it something you actively seek as an antidote to a stressful life? Visiting silence can be an adventure, a life changing journey into peace and quiet. In silence we can hear our own thoughts. Silence speaks for the part of life that is beyond words. There is space, inner freedom and creativity. We find a place within us that is centered, a place of trust. As the noisy demands of daily life make us shrink inside, in silence we expand. Don’t underestimate the power of silence.”
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….”
The Door Is Wide Open – But Don’t Let The Old Man In
“Facing the fact of our own mortality is something we fall into intimacy with as we enter the elder years of our embodied life.
What is dignified aging? ….”
WILDLY FREE ELDER 