Aging is Not for Sissies!

“Surrender is the art of flowing with the river of life, rather than swimming against it.” ~Unknown

Every time I start writing this piece, my stomach starts to tense up, and I’ve already tossed out three drafts. This topic is the most charged one I’ve addressed in a while, and it’s asking me to be super transparent. Okay, here goes…..

I turned 65 this year, and am now officially a ‘senior’ citizen. I have to confess, even with all the deep transformational work I’ve done, this next life passage is kicking my butt.

Sometimes I catch myself in the mirror and am shocked. Who is that older woman? She in no way reflects my inner experience. I feel younger, healthier, juicier and more alive than ever. Yet my body seems to tell a different story. Despite my daily yoga practice, healthy eating, and exquisite self care, wrinkles are spreading in fine lined cracks across my face, puckers and crinkles punctuate my upper arms and thighs, white hairs sprout in the wrong places, and less hair grows in the right places. Gray is the new blond, and aging spots are definitely not cute freckles.

Ohhhh, I almost forget to mention ……….. my memory has become quite selective on what it chooses to remember, and forget!

The most embarrassing thing of all is that I CARE! I want my insides to reflect my outsides. Living in the US, and specifically Los Angeles, a city that glorifies youth and defiles aging, doesn’t help either. Though I honestly don’t long for my forty or fifty year old self, I miss having a body that preserved my illusion of immortality. Now that that veneer is being stripped away, I am being brought to my knees – or you might say, brought to my senses.

As my teacher Faisal Muqaddam says, “Aging is not for sissies.” Having grieved the passing of four grandparents, two parents, and many relatives, I accept the inevitability of my death. However, who – and what – prepares you to gracefully surrender into this humbling and unpredictable process called aging?

I am not alone. Baby Boomers already make up more than 16% of the US population, and our numbers are growing! Many of my clients are 50+, and unwilling to succumb to the belief that life after 50 is a downward slide. Now that we’ve been on the planet for a while, accomplished some amazing things like raising a family, starting a business or two or working up the corporate ladder, and gotten some of the ‘shoulds’ out of the way, we’re ready to step out and really LIVE!

The question is, how do we move forward gracefully embracing the changes in our physical form, and NOT giving into our culture’s negative messages about aging?

Oh my, answering this question may require that I write my next book! In the meantime, here are a few tips that you might want to explore.

• Learn how to manage your energy! Of everything I’ve explored, Human Design is the more accurate tool I’ve found to help you understand how to work with your unique flow of energy, so you can feel younger as you get older.

To get a free copy of your unique Human Design chart, plus the first 3 chapters of my new eBook (which introduces your type and how to follow your strategy), click here.

• Short circuit negative thinking. If you tell yourself a thought that doesn’t feel good it’s probably NOT true. Substitute that thought with one that feels better.
• Have SEX! Your body is designed to bring you pleasure, no matter how old you are. If you need some guidance, check out my Wellness Sexuality Practice.
• Do your best to consciously choose happiness. As teacher once said to me “Would you rather be right or happy?”
• When you look in the mirror, instead of focusing on the lines or wrinkles, look into your eyes and see the bright light of your beautiful being shining through.
• Kiss as much as possible. Passionate kissing plumps up the lips!

I invite you to let me know how aging is going for you, and we’ll continue this conversation!