A view from the sky tram in Jasper on a family holiday
A little over five years ago I first posted this blog. At the time I was seventy four and felt like aging was something I was looking forward to in my future. Recently, I turned eighty and came across this. It seemed to take on new meaning because now I feel like I have finally 'grown up' and I am now looking back. See if you get something else out of it five years later. Aging With Grace A friend of mine, Darlene, invited me to attend a morning seminar with her entitled ‘Aging with Grace’. Whenever I hear the word grace, I think of the lady guide that we met in the elevator in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. My husband and I were in New York many years ago and took the tour. Although there were many impressive things to remember, she became my most vivid memory. She was a slender older lady who spoke confidently and carried herself with an air of grace. I thought to myself, ‘Now you know what grace sounds and looks like. Watch and learn’. Every time I think of her, I feel re-inspired. I was hoping to learn more of being gracious at the seminar. That wasn’t quite the focus of the speaker, but I did come away with some uplifting ideas. I took notes and was able to write a few quotes that I thought were worth sharing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the sources of the quotes, so if you recognize any of them and know the author, let me know and I will give credit. The first idea presented was to ‘live life with intention, not to just sit back and let it happen. Our years are a gift to us.’ ‘For everything there is a season. Wisdom is knowing what time it is.’ ‘I am in the prime of my life and loving it. I only wish I had learned earlier that any time is the prime of my life.’ ‘Youth is the time to study wisdom. Old age is the time to practice it.’ Put another way, she said that ‘in youth we learn, in age we understand.’ Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach In at least three different places lately, including this class, I have heard variations of letting go of the past in order to embrace the future. One suggestion was to look to the past with gratitude for the things that we have learned and look forward to the new learning to come. ‘There is always something to be grateful for, if we take time to look.’ There was much said about living with an attitude of gratitude. The instructor shared with us a quote from The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. ‘What day is it?’ asked Winnie the Pooh. ‘It’s today’ squeaked Piglet. ‘My favorite day,’ said Pooh. I liked that a lot. It is well worth remembering. We could make today our favorite day. Maybe we could even start the day by affirming as Marion Law suggested, ‘I feel terrific this morning. I can’t wait to get started.’ ‘My role right now is to say thank you.’ The one name I did get written down was Meridel Le Sueur. In the picture we were shown, she was just covered in wrinkles. She lived to be 96 and said, ‘I am luminous with age’. Now that is an interesting perspective. One thing that was said that seemed to get the attention of everyone there was, ‘I am grateful that wrinkles don’t hurt.’ I think I will keep that for a mantra when I need uplifting. I find myself repeating it when I look in the mirror. It always makes me laugh. If nothing else was learned that day, it was worth my while to attend the seminar just to hear 'Wrinkles don't hurt'. But I am just not sure I want to be quite as “luminous” as Meridel Le Sueur if it takes that many wrinkles. And maybe with a little more persistence, I will also embrace some of the other learning as well.
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MargerySharing nuggets of wisdom gained through my life's travels. Archives
August 2022
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