We all get old, well many of us anyway if we are lucky and take care of ourselves. We start down a path that has some unknowns and twists and turns as well as some potholes. One can take it in stride or fight every step of the way. Things we used to take for granted are not so easy anymore as our strength, vision, and hearing decline. Dealing with all this takes some balance in your life, literally and figuratively. We can’t let worries overtake us. Be grateful for what you can do and still enjoy. Like a falling tide, you can’t turn it; just flow with it. Youthful grace might have to give way to new hobbies or sports that we haven’t tried. There will be a few more aches and pains, but you don’t have to submit to suffering. All this is just another stage in life. Think… some of your friends or family did not get this far.
Accept who you have become. It doesn’t mean you can’t change sometimes to live a healthier life, but you must work with what you have. Learn more about a healthy eating and what exercises will work for you. Get restful sleep. Keep moving as much as you can. Embrace where you are and enjoy it. The more positive your outlook the longer you will live studies show. Be around positive people as much as you can to get a lift.
Meditation can help with unpleasant thoughts and just deal with the reality of the moment. Thoughts are just that. You can acknowledge discomfort and accept it for what it is. Then it might not be as bad. Stay focused on the now and the present. Yesterday is gone and can’t be changed. Tomorrow does not yet exist. Pay attention to other things such as watching your garden grow, using your creativity to paint, sculp, carve, sew or whatever gives you pleasure. Helping others takes the focus off “me”. Now you have time to savor things you took for granted in the past. Take more time with friends and family. No one ever said they wished they had spent more time at the office. Say yes to life and doors will open
There is an opportunity to reflect on who am I and where am I here. What am I going to do with the time left? Our minds, through the stillness of mindfulness and mediation can let our consciousness expand when we did not have time for that before.
Ask yourself what is/are the most important things going forward? Should we love others more, forgive old hurts, reach out to family and friends? Yes, of course. Love can be abundant and should be shared. Be prepared to listen more and talk less (that’s why we have two ears and only one mouth). Smiling and saying good morning to strangers will sometimes evoke some strange looks, but it’s worth it to get a smile in return.
For those who have not tried meditation, you can learn to do this. It only requires the desire. To start, find a quiet place to sit or lie down for just ten minutes. There are books, recordings, and apps that can help to keep your mind on your breath. Thoughts will enter your mind of course, but your response should be just watch them go by as you would watch a cloud. You don’t have to chase after them. Each time you drift away chasing a thought, just come back to your breath and focus on that. Be kind to yourself… you are learning how. The results can be transforming in how you look at life. Learn to move from worrying about tomorrow and what you should have done yesterday to dealing with life in the present moment. This could be the time to do something that you have put off for years. Learn that happiness is not a destination but a journey. It’s been there all along.
The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.
Further insights –
New Passages – Gail Sheehy
Wherever You Go, There You Are – Jon Kabat-Zinn
*Tao Te Ching (sometimes the Dao) – Lao Tzu (written in the fourth century BC)
How To Love – Thich Nhat Hanh
*Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
— Tao Te Ching, Verse Nine