The Artistry of Aging
“The web of connection on this amazing planet we live on has always been there, but perhaps not as much in our awareness as now with the technology we presently possess. Within seconds we can know what is happening on the other side of the world. Granted this can often be a mixed blessing.
But what is apparent more and more is that we are all one “family” connected by the same human needs as well as intimately connected with all other life in nature and the cosmos.”
“How many unseen mysteries are out of our direct perception? I don’t know about you but rainbows are always magical to me and make me smile every single time. Somewhere over the rainbow….and pots of gold at the end of them – but there is actually no end!”
“When reaching the elder stage of life many of us realize with acute awareness that each morning that we wake up to an in breath/out breath, and open our eyes…. it is a gift.
What if the greatest act of creativity comes in this final stage of life. Knowing that how we spend our days matters more than it ever has.”
A necessary ingredient in the Universe is chaos. It can sweep you and the life you have so carefully constructed away. And it is also the place from which all things start anew.
Knowing that you can plan for something your whole life and still get taken by surprise.
BREATHE…
“Perhaps it is the yearning of the heart that draws us to notice the ordinary beauty all around us. To not only notice but to allow it to expand our perception of life in the moment by opening to see beyond the narrow confines of our present cultural narrative and domesticated survival.
“Standing on the wooden walkway at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary my companion saw her first. Long turtle neck stretching up to the sky to soak in the suns rays, her body grounded on the log in the lake water poised amidst the reflections of Fall color….”
“In indigenous wisdom all life is one and is inextricably interconnected. There is no separateness, only wholeness. The actions and choices we take and make create the stories that evolve. Where we place our attention grows to take over the moments – to explore, discover and creatively express. Shouldn’t we choose wisely and see through the lens of wholeness with all of our senses…right now?”
“Stepping into an old growth forest is like stepping from chaos into an ancient , intelligent environment of cooperation, interconnection and diverse community. Almost immediately I felt the presence of indigenous energy and wished that I had moccasins on my feet instead of bulky walking shoes, or better yet barefoot to connect directly with the earth beneath my feet.
In direct communication and connection with this generative, abundant and lush world teeming with life I crossed over the stream running under the bridge at the beginning of the trailhead and felt at home….”
“Solitude that was so rare as we raced through our younger years was most often to be avoided at all costs. If we only knew that it was the solitude that would bring us a greater awareness of who we are in our wholeness perhaps we would have welcomed it with open arms.
Leapt at opportunities to bare our heart and soul to ourselves in quiet reflection….”
The landscape of aging into elderhood. Navigating the terrain is indeed an art. The artistry of finding ones unique way in an unknown never been there before choreographed dance of light and dark, sadness and joy, sickness and health, belonging and aloneness, sacred and mundane, acceptance and rejection…..living and death.
Each one of us walks a unique path….