Monday, November 25, 2013

On Giving Thanks To Age

Throughout these past 6 years, I’ve written a traditional Thanksgiving Day post every year at this time, listing the things I have in my life to be grateful for.

And I do.

I have so many things that I’m grateful for. But I don’t only realize them around this time of the year, because I try to take a moment each week and give thanks for the many things I’ve been blessed with.

And I think at the top of my list is LOVE. I have always felt loved.

I’ve never been one to feel that I need a relationship with one person to experience a special love in my life, because I receive special love in so many ways.

My family.
My friends.
The people I work with.
You, who I blog with.
And...
The love of myself.

And really, that’s where love starts, doesn’t it?

That’s one of the things that age has taught me.

Self-love.

You get to a point where it’s no longer about the need to change or improve yourself; it becomes more about accepting and embracing yourself for exactly where you are at.

Now that’s not to say you don’t change and improve, but you eventually learn that life takes you precisely where you should go, thus you change and improve through the openness of trusting the rhythm of your own life.

I can honestly say, now that I’m in my 50’s, I’m changing and improving with a healthier attitude than I did when I was much younger. Because back then, change and improvement came from an insatiable desire I had within myself, believing I needed to change by comparison.

I had always heard that I needed to be at a particular place in my life at a particular age, because that’s the way it’s supposed to be – almost like a ‘life scale’ on achievement.

When I hit 20, I was supposed to be at a certain point and achieve certain things.
When I hit 30, I was supposed to be at a certain point and achieve certain things.
When I hit 40, I was supposed to be at a certain point and achieve certain things.

But you know what?

When you get towards the end of your 40’s and into your 50’s, you say to yourself, “Fuck that…I’m exactly at the point I need to be – right here, right now.”

And when that happens, you begin to develop almost a sixth sense that gives you clues as to where you should go, and when you should go. You become guided by your own life, which moves you in a more natural flow than with a sense of urgency and need.

Now that I’m in my 50’s, I’m doing things I never thought I could do when I was younger.

I feel smarter now that I’m older. And I don’t mean brain smart either, I mean life smart. Because I’m teaching myself things I thought I was not capable of. And I’m doing it by my own instinct.

And not only am I learning how to do things, but I’ve also learned how to be more accepting and trusting of myself internally.

I no longer follow a structured path of interior improvement. Because as long as I believe I need to improve, I won’t. Because that puts me in a mindset of thinking there is something I need to fix about myself.

No, it’s no longer about me seeking improvement or fixing, because I’m not broken. It’s about me staying sensitive to what my life is presenting to me and embracing it. And through that, I change and improve.

Age is a wonderful thing because you begin to settle into yourself; evolving naturally.

You let go of the comparisons.

You let go of the fixing.

And embrace YOU.

Thank you, age!

See, what did I tell you? Even at 58 years old, I still act like a kid with a turkey on my head.

Now that's what I call...EVOLVING.
tee, hee!

Wishing each and everyone of you a beautiful Thanksgiving!

X ya's!