This year has been a milestone year for me. I entered the year with some trepidation thinking about the number of years that I've been on this earth. Can you relate? I knew it was coming, but I'm not sure how I got here so quickly. A half a century seems like such a long time, and feels so old, but honestly, most days, I still feel like I'm in my 20's, and on my birthday, I enjoyed turning my rose gold, 50 balloons upside down, and making them into 20. After all, isn't time a man made concept, and don't we create our own reality? I came into the year kicking and screaming and resisting. I know, it makes no sense. I was going to turn 50 no matter how much I resisted. At times conversations with friends and family were helpful, and others only made me feel worse. As the year progressed, I watched many of my childhood friends turn 50 with grace and ease, and thought, I want to get to that place too. At some point, I remembered something that my Mom used to say to her friends, "You are only as old as you feel." This became my new mantra, and I said it every time I felt anything but positive about my age. Reflecting back over the past 50 years, I realized that I didn't always feel this good and this young. In fact, in my mid 30's, I felt sick everyday. My bones and joints ached. I had digestive problems, and I was exhausted all of the time. I felt like I was in the last years of my life, and honestly, if I didn't make lifestyle changes, I would have continued on that trajectory. These reflections got me thinking about how lucky I am to still be here on this earth. I have some childhood friends who didn't make it this far. So being here truly is a gift. Slowly, my attitude has shifted from sulking to feeling grateful and celebrating life! I've started to focus on how I want to feel moving forward for the next 50 years. I want to feel energetic, positive, flexible and strong. I want to enjoy time in nature, enjoy time with friends and family, and enjoy my career. I know that in order to continue to feel young and healthy, I've got to eat nutrient dense foods that are free from harsh chemicals. I need to move my body daily, and I need to make time for reflection and play. I need to nurture my body, mind and Spirit, and appreciate my life here on earth. As the year progresses, I find myself tuning in, and listening more and more to my Inner Guide, and I've been feeling the pull to do cartwheels and elbow stands. I wonder, is this my ego's resistance to turning 50? Is it my body calling for greater upper body strength? Is it my spirit wanting to recapture being a kid in acrobatics class? Whatever it is, it feels good to be doing them. I can feel myself getting stronger each day. I also feel my posture getting straighter. You can catch videos of my cartwheels on the beach, and my elbow stand on my Instagram page. I plan on doing them as long as I can, and hopefully, I'll still be doing them in my 80's. If I listened to my fear mind, I wouldn't have even attempted to try doing them again. You know, that little voice that says, "You can't do that," "You're not in shape, "You're too old," "You haven't done that in 30 years, you'll hurt yourself." What I love about listening to my Inner Guide about doing these exercises is that it doesn't feel like a chore. I don't feel like I have to discipline myself to do it or force myself to do it in anyway. What is your Inner Guide calling you to do? What have you been holding yourself back from doing? What have you been telling yourself you are too old to do? How do you want to feel moving forward?
4 Comments
Joan
1/30/2023 03:42:38 pm
Thanks! I'm happy it resonated with you.
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Joan
9/30/2024 07:25:52 pm
Happy to hear that!
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AuthorI'm a nature loving, garden growing, foodie who loves to eat sweet treats, walk barefoot, snuggle with my dog, discover waterfalls, gaze at the stars,explore my dreams and co-create my own reality. Archives
March 2022
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