The Artistry of Aging
“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?”….
“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!”…..
“In these moments it was as if everything not immediately in the small perimeter of where I sat faded away. The only “time” that existed was now and nothing else mattered. It was like those moments when you find yourself gazing into the face of a beloved. If I was to measure it in human time it was probably only 10 minutes or so, but it felt timeless.
A spaciousness of breath and presence in which I was embraced.”
“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…..”
“Tree character shows best in winter, when the camouflage of leaves has fallen away. All that remains is what’s strong enough to withstand hard weather, and that core strength is beautiful. Locally, oaks reveal themselves most. They’re closest to what I instinctively drew as a child. In my own growth, I discovered…..”
“As Spring energy here in the Northern hemisphere is starting to flow, I am drawn back to what had me originally creating the Wildly Free Elder website and community during the first lock down of the pandemic. An inspiration was emerging in me to inspire aging in a more accepting way unique to each individual with no pre-conceived idea of what we are like at any certain set age. Instead to live life fully, and as Jenny says in the video below – ….”
“As we age we have the choice to accept and surrender into the “peace of wild things” – a refuge and sanctuary reminding us where we have come from, and what nurtures our heart and soul. It is these very moments where our senses celebrate – the sound of a creek flowing over rocks, flight of a hawk gliding on unseen wind currents…..”
“And here we begin to discover one of life’s greatest secrets: how love is at the source of all that exists, is the source of all that exists. Love is not just a feeling between people, but a substance, an energy, a divine spark that is present within everything. And it is this deepest essence—this substance of love—that we need to nourish us….”
“We are taught by our respective cultures, and often our family of origin, not to fall apart. For both women and men. If we are fortunate we are allowed to do so as a child growing up. We are told that our very survival depends on holding it all together, protecting our hearts and not showing the fullness of who we are. But what if that is not true at all?: