Growing Younger Gracefully is dedicated to creating well-being as a ritual, not an afterthought.
We actually can enhance our well-being, or as I like to say, “grow younger gracefully,” with a commitment to the pillars of well-being: nourishment, movement, and attitude. Each relies upon the other, yet each holds great significance independently.
Aging: Is it a blessing or a curse? I believe we should be able to age, enjoy aging, and celebrate aging!
“Growing” is our constant cellular state. Our cells are ever-changing. “Younger” is the notion that youth is about creating new experiences, gaining new perspectives, and exploring life’s mysteries. Let’s keep doing that, no matter our physical age. “Gracefully” is the way in which we want to explore these mysteries of life—with elegance, ease, and respect.
Aging is identified in our culture as something to fear, deny, resent, remedy, cure, and most of all, regret. As we age, we can feel great. As we age, we can feel awful. As we age, we can feel it all. Our aging is real, and it’s all ours. Most of all, how we age is all about our choice and our perspective.
The blessings of aging are so much greater and must be acknowledged, celebrated, and respected. With each year, we wear a new layer of wisdom, built on our past, that provides us with deeper compassion, greater inner knowing, and a wisdom that is only available through the experiences we’ve gained and the life lessons we’ve learned. With experience comes a true understanding that life is precious and holds many gifts, both large and small. The difference between those who celebrate their aging and those who regret their aging is in choice, attitude, and gratitude. When we look in the mirror, we must all find gratitude for something in ourselves and be able to say, “Thank you!”
Growing Younger Gracefully is anti-anti-aging. Our culture
does not recognize or honor aging. Yet we are living longer and changing courses either by desire or necessity as our skills, needs, and interests shift. Aging is part of our human experience. Growing Younger Gracefully is a guide for how we can make the most of what we have by investigating what well-being looks like and what well- being feels like for each of us.
How we view and talk about ourselves is self-fulling. If we can celebrate ourselves, life becomes a celebration. But when all the conversation is about our ills, our problems, or as one clever friend said, our “organ recital,” then those troubles become the center of our lives.
The most important tip I can offer is this: Where attention goes, energy flows. Make it a practice to focus your attention on your gifts, and your energy will flow with gratitude.
As our bodies change, we adapt. As our circumstances shift, we look for the balance. Aging can be confusing. Aging can be terrifying. Aging can hold clarity. Aging is what is. Now, our awareness is to acknowledge the journey and to live fully with the resources we have. Aging is as much a process as becoming a teenager. We grow, we learn, we change.
If we are very, very lucky, we will grow and age and enjoy many of life’s gifts. The word “aging” has such a negative buzz; and yet, it can be a great treasure. As we age, we will most certainly encounter challenges, losses,
and surprises, as well as new beginnings and even wisdom. I truly believe that happiness is a choice. We absolutely can choose to delight in our aging process.
Enjoy the adventure!
For more information, please visit www.GrowingYoungerGracefully.com.