The truth about aging

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Jul
21

I received a quote from a friend this week that stirred something within me. We are all growing older and with the grace of God, we will age gracefully, peacefully, and joyfully.

“Speak to your children as if they were the wisest, kindest, most beautiful, and magical humans on the earth, for what they BELIEVE they will BECOME.”

What came to me when I read it is that we first have to BELIEVE and speak it to ourselves before we can BECOME it and speak it to our children. I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t taught how to love, appreciate, trust, or believe in myself.

I went even deeper. I thought about what it would be like if our children spoke to us as if we were the wisest, kindest, most beautiful, and magical humans on the earth.  Wouldn’t it be great, instead of the “ageism” beliefs that we don’t have anything to offer as we age and feel devalued by a society that favors the youth?  

We need to teach our children (and everyone) how to treat us and what we need as we age. At every age, we want love, respect, patience, kindness, understanding and to be heard, but need this especially as we age. Our children need to know we will repeat ourselves and forget what we were talking about or even the date without being shamed or corrected.

A friend of mine sent me a book called, “Don’t Call Me Old I’m Just Awakening” by Marsha Sinetar. The book has expanded my perspective of “old age.” Rather than “old age”, she calls it “advanced age.”

Sinetar writes, “We want to be treated like an adult. And I think sometimes our children don’t mean to treat us like children. I think they just want to keep us alive as long as possible. Sometimes our love and concern can manifest in ways that are frustrating or even demeaning to our parents.”

I didn’t realize that prior to reading the book, I was slowly buying into some of the cultural beliefs about aging: older people are frail, dependent, out of touch with what’s going on in the world, “over the hill” and don’t have anything to offer any more. There are some cultures that “honor” the elderly for their wisdom and life experiences, but unfortunately, it is not so in the west.

These “ageism” beliefs are farthest from the truth. I needed to change my thinking and not lose confidence at this crucial time in my life. With God, I can expect favorable results and remain healthy, independent, creative, and productive through life.

To age successfully, we must focus on meaning, purpose, and the intention to live life to the fullest, using our gifts and wisdom to serve the world. The key to aging is to not mourn what’s lost but to CELEBRATE the time we have left. My motto is to live my life to the fullest, for I am not promised tomorrow.

The truth about aging is that every year we grow inwardly stronger and can reclaim and celebrate the wisdom and spiritual intelligence that only comes with age. When we commune with God and understand our ONENESS, we know we are LOVE and loved.

Sinetar writes. “Who and how we were when younger is who and how we will be when older if we develop our SOVEREIGNTY and spiritual hardiness born of our union with Divine Love. How we live our lives can reflect how we die.”  As I age, I require more solitude and quiet time. I love reading, relaxing and just BEING.

I was guided to write a list of 30 practices to continue living my life to the fullest and aging with peace, ease, and grace. Here are the top 7.

·        I will continue to deepen my relationship with Divine Love/Source/God by going within for my answers through meditation, prayer, and journaling.

·        I will continue to do what I enjoy that gives me pleasure and makes me happy and joyful like writing, walking, playing, reading, sitting on my swing and going to the ocean.

·        I will delete negativity, drama, and talking about problems. I will focus on the good, rather than what’s missing.

·        I will keep my vibration high in gratitude and love so I may shine my light wherever I go.

·        I will accept “what is” as if I had chosen it.

·        I will choose love instead of fear and listen to the Spirit within instead of the egoic voice.

·        I will feel all of my feelings instead of a spiritual bypass.

I encourage you to go within and celebrate where you are in life and to know it gets better and better each day with Divine Love.