Ageing Well or With Ridiculous Deformity.
So I’m blogging today for two reasons. A friend of mine gave me a compliment on my blog and this encouraged me. I also have an issue on my mind.
I just got off the phone with a friend who is the same exact age as I am and we were discussing the beginning stages of aging that we are both feeling. I also had a funny conversation with another friend recently and she starts out saying… “So I’m wondering if I should aspire to live the rest of my days as Rosanne Barr and give up, or kill myself and go for the Angelino Jolie look?” I busted up laughing, but said really quickly, as I’d been thinking along the same lines and immediately stated “Neither! We need to avoid both extremes.” I promptly assured her that I wasn’t saying I’m not gonna get any face work done but we started discussing all this and along with the talk I had last night with my other amazing friend I came up with this… The ageing blog now begins.
If you are fifty and older and know that I’m only 43 years old, don’t laugh as I realize it’s just the beginning and I haven’t seen anything yet, but this realization of aging is beginning to happen and I am attempting to try to handle, understand and deal with it, rationally, graciously and with as much wisdom as I can seek and find.
I know a few older friends who, to me, are ageing well and giving me great wisdom by just watching them live life.
Ecclesiastes, chapter12 is where my friend and I started discussing, as we wanted the wise perspective and not this crazy unrealistic perspective that we are bombarded with day in and day out from the media. It’s just not real! What is real is the truth.? So far this is what I’m seeing as I seek the truth in this matter of ageing.
1) It’s not about wrinkles, gray hair or stiff joints, but this IS indeed part of it. Our container is wearing out! This is normal and a natural part of our lives. I don’t believe we should spend every waking hour in the gym and deform our faces with plastic surgery or spend tons of money on this but I believe we should try and take care of ourselves with wisdom that is balance. I’m not going to talk about balance. I believe if we seek the truth we will run into balance on the way.
2) The older, are supposed to inspire, help, support and give wisdom and guidance to the younger. This should be natural, but we can also reject this stage of life and start thinking unnaturally, as I believe if the media is your teacher that you will become a “Deformed” older person. What do I mean? The visual that comes to mind is if we put a baby in a play pen most of the day and didn’t let them learn to crawl and or walk around they would be stunted and in extreme confinement they would end up being physically deformed and emotionally stunted. This is how I see Joan Rivers. Sorry, but she doesn’t look right and where is the wisdom that she should have by now? She does not inspire me one bit. I know some older people with a few “more” wrinkles and gray hair that when I have even a five-minute chat with them make me feel motivated, inspired and refreshed after being with them. This should be the norm. Unfortunately many of us are looking to the wrong sources for our guidance. Something is wrong here. The truth always makes me feel free. So I’m going for the truth about ageing.
3) It’s not a time to give up either but rather to take the wisdom and apply all we know and have. Ecclesiastes 7:18 not letting go of one to grasp another. Over the years I’ve learned some wisdom about eating and exercise. I shouldn’t let go of this just because it doesn’t seem to have the same effect on my body. So I don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, but I keep on moving. Maybe my movement will look different as I “move” into my 50’s and 60’s? But we can take the wisdom of avoiding one extreme of giving up and the other extreme of focusing so much on our outer container that we have nothing of substance flowing from the container.
4) There were many truths from Ecclesiastes chapter 12; in fact, the entire book is full of wisdom and life giving sap. Lastly, the best advice for all ages, and this is in Ecclesiastes 12:14 The Message version: “Fear God. Do what he tells you. 14And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil.” To “Fear” God is the beginning of wisdom and what I have learned about this scary FEAR word is that you gotta study the language that it was written in so you don’t get all freaky and religious with it. All it means is to Reverently respect Gods truth and ways. I hear this verse with a loving Father’s attitude full of wisdom and the best interests in mind for his kids. My rendition is… “Hey, this life is short and full of emptiness apart from loving relationships, it’s meaningless. Sow good wholesome seeds in this life. You will reap what you sow. Go ahead sow to your fleshy body and plastic surgery… you’ll reap just that. Sow to finding wisdom and love and guess what kids? You will indeed reap wisdom and loves reward. This is only the beginning not the end. The end of the container is certainly not all I have planned.”
I’m finding it rewarding and difficult to age. I need more wisdom about this and I believe if I hang out with the wisdom giver, I’ll surely get some. Let’s age well, without becoming literally deformed individuals. Father God, you have a plan for this natural process of ageing. Let us look to you for wisdom and truth as we enter into the second half of our lives.
Thank you to my older and wiser friends. You are excellent examples to all of us coming behind and so much so that you are overpowering the ridiculousness of what the media is portraying.
