Getting older is not for the faint of heart!
May 29, 2023
I was driving the other day and a couple of sports cars were racing at 60+ miles an hour down M Street, weaving in and out of traffic, running a red light and having little regard for the noon traffic. It was dangerous, it was scary, it was reckless. I hated being one of the "old people' who were frustrated. Things are changing and I am becoming one of 'them!’
Technology is moving faster than I can keep up with.
Language has changed and half of the abbreviations young people use I don't understand.
Remembering names and events takes me a longer.
My energy level is not the same as 3 years ago.
I get frustrated with crazy drivers.
The kids whose diapers I have changed have kids on their own.
There are so many things that just have changed over the last few years and I am trying to come to grips with it all.... and I am only 63 (yes, I know ancient for the young generation).
But there are also amazing things that come with my age:
Friendships that have lasted for centuries.
Memories of trips that go back to the last millennium.
Travels to various countries, experiencing the beauty and traditions of other people.
A marriage that has weathered the storms of time.
Wisdom that only comes with age.
Recognizing that there is nothing new under the sun.
Not having lost my faith in God and people yet.
Being able to overlook minor offenses.
Being able to forgive and move forward.
Knowing that even at my age, I only know part of the story.
Having danced, and sailed, and read and enjoyed so many things in life.
Richard Rohr wrote a book called "Falling upwards": "To fall upward is to discover our True Self, our inner connection to all things and all people, and to live, as Rohr says, inside the Big Picture of God’s love. The great purpose of life is to ‘grow’ our unique God-given self and return or offer it in love and service to God and the world. It is to be the me I was created to be."
In the first part of life we strive to become 'someone' to seek success to create our future. As we grow older we discover that we are much more than the first part of life, that there is more depth and value in the world. We learn to recognize that “We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.”
As I grow older, I want to live with purpose, focus, and I want to ensure that people in their 'first half' of life get to dream and pursue their lives. I want to cheer them on, help them discover their own unique gifts they bring to our world and, if asked, walk with them, because I was in their shoes 45 years ago.