The Gifts of Age~
One
of the things I discuss with my peers is the joy in reaching the point in life
where it is easy to let go and just be the person one it meant to be.
In
my youth I expended so much energy trying to impress others; to escape from where
I came from; to recreate my past into a story that would look good to
strangers, to present an image that showed the world that I matter.
Fortunately,
the experience of life afforded me the knowledge, awareness, confidence or
indifference to let that all go. Really, it isn’t indifference. It is more the
finding that what other people think really doesn’t matter. I accept that I
matter because I am. People will accept me as I am or they won’t. And if they
won’t – that isn’t my problem.
That
isn’t to suggest that one should merely give up and slide into obscurity.
Instead I find this period of growth exhilarating or freeing. Now I have the
wherewithal to focus on what matters to me.
In
my 20’s and 30’s up until my mid 40’s, it seemed so important to achieve
recognition and accolades in the workplace. Then I found my path to
enlightenment. For me enlightenment means working the 40-60 hours per week it
takes to excel at my job and then quitting for the day or the week. I don’t
work weekends. I rarely work beyond 7:00pm. On yoga days, I click off the
computer at 5:15pm, change and head into town to find inner wellbeing on the
mat. Afterwards I join like-minded individuals for wine or tea and conversation.
Or I head home and make a light dinner, have a glass of wine, chat with my
spouse, read, explore something new, watch TV, bake bread, write my blog, sew,
knit, pet my cats, talk to loved ones, work puzzles, shop online, garden, watch
the sky, stand on my head, or whatever seems right at the time.
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