The age old question. I have a few theories on age. As I grow older I have realized that my perception of age has shifted. When people older than me said “oh wait until you get old, it is no fun” I used to believe them and would say I don’t want to get old. But really in a nut shell age is a duality on a different scale. We can choose to accept it as we have been conditioned to or we can choose to defy the odds by changing our perception of age and see the positive in growing older rather than focusing on the negative.
The mind vs. the heart
Our ego will see time as a threat. The mind will try to protect us by telling us we should not do something because we are too old to do it. Be it the physical limitation or the mental stigma that adults should act like adults, the mind will find a way to keep us safe. In this case I would prefer to be young at heart. The heart does not know time. To the heart our being is eternal and there is nothing to worry about. The heart wants to play and wants to follow the child like instincts we were born with. How do you want to live? I think in terms of mind and heart even though there are different ways to look at this and these correlations might help you understand better what I am talking about. There is the left and right side of the brain, female and male energy, ying and yang, etc.
Experience and authority
Many older people tend to give advice to the younger generation and expect them to follow it and even put them down for not listening. But really when you are young you are able to feel more in tune with how you want to live your life. Then society comes in and says you have to live this way or you will be an outcast. In the end it is your choice how you want to live and no one can tell you to live differently as long as you are not affecting people in a negative way. This affects your happiness and longevity in the long run. So follow your heart and live the life you were meant to live. I am learning to see the younger generations as teachers and guides instead of being old and grumpy complaining about how their lives are so different from when I was growing up. If you see something in the young that you don’t like, maybe you should look at why that bothers you because it really isn’t them, it is you. Age is an easy excuse to separate your self from another group of people. We are all human and humans can have empathy for one another not resentment or judgments cast upon each other creating more separation within our society. I dream of a time when society is open to new possibilities and we work together to allow people to live the way they want to live.
Our temple
Our bodies talk to us. It can tell us what we need to live a long and happy life. Try to listen to it. What do you crave? Go out and get it. Does it make you feel like crap? Don’t do it again. Eating right makes a huge difference in how you see the world. If your body is in tip top shape your senses will be better, your libido will be better, your energy will be better, and it is easier to balance yourself. Every 7 years every cell in our bodies is replaced. What makes up those cells is whatever we are eating at the time. So you might be able to consider food as the material used to build our temples. See my post on nutrition. How strong do you want your temple to be? Physical exercise is also important for healthy bodies. Keeping everything moving and sweating is a way to cleanse the toxins that could build up over time. Keeping chemicals out of your system is also important. My next blog will be about the chemicals in our environment that affect our bodies negatively. So be aware of what you are not only consuming but putting on your skin as well. Sleep is important in letting your mind and body recover so that you can follow your heart because it is running around like a 10 year old! Stress is also something to consider and prevent in your life. Really just goes along with taking care of your self and loving your self. When you truly care and love yourself you are not going to allow stress to over run your life. Keep it in check! Our bodies are a tool for us to navigate through this reality the way we were meant to experience it. Treat it well and you can concentrate on what you really are here to accomplish in this lifetime and reap the rewards for doing so.
Overall I am continuing to work on balancing my heart and mind, taking care of my body, and not passing judgement on those that are in different age groups than me. I feel better than I have felt when I was in my twenties because of the steps I have taken to improve myself and my outlook on life. I think of the future as something to look forward to because at this point in my life it can only get better.
Live better, be happy, and love all that is!
Namaste!