— by Rosie Kuhn —
Upon reviewing our lives, reliving memories of the past, we can see patterns and strategies we were conditioned to engage in. There were principles and rules, ideals and obligations to uphold. We took the path we took based on what made sense to us and the world around us. As we age, and perhaps as we get beyond obligations of family and career, we are given an opportunity to review how we lived our lives, how we made choices, and how we lived within the consequences of those choices.
If you are able to imagine yourself an “Indiana Jones” of sorts, you can see your life as an amazing adventure. You were handed a manual written by your culture, your family, your friends. It seemed right that you follow those mandates. At times you could have chosen a path less traveled, and perhaps you did. Perhaps like Indiana, that manual had absolutely no relevance to the circumstances you found yourself in, so you used it for toilet paper or as a fire starter instead.
Truth is, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done so far with this manual of yours. What matters is that you are able to be with all the twists and turns, all of the consequences of those choices, and acknowledge to yourself, “Wow, that was an amazing adventure that I created for myself. What have I learned so far? What can I take with me as I go forward on the rest of this journey of my life?
“When I read in the book Oneness that the how is the entire point of this journey, it kind of shattered my reality. Up until recently, I’ve been more enmeshed in the what of this journey: what I’ve done and was it enough? is what I’ve done right, wrong, good or bad? In the next decade or two, will I be rewarded for what I’ve done or will the consequences cause me suffering?
As I consider the how’s of my life, the story becomes more interesting and engaging. And, as I age, I’m able to review this story so much more from an overview. Actually, now that I think about it, I wrote an autobiographical book. The intention of writing that book (The Unholy Adventure of a Reluctant Adventurer) was to uncover how I came to choose some ridiculously challenging choices throughout my life. As the title suggests, I never saw myself as an adventurer and probably never will. However, I suggest that each of us, through reviewing and reliving the how’s of our life, will reveal how we created an incredible adventure for ourselves: coming to this planet, figuring out the whats and hows, then bushwhacking our own trails of a life that will never be lived or known in quite the way that you know your life to be. Isn’t that awesome!
I’d love you to be curious about how your journey began and unfolded for you. Write your memoirs for yourself. Encourage yourself to live in the question, “How did I come to make the choices I made, and how did I live in the consequences that arose?”
I guarantee it will be a fascinating story for you to reveal to yourself.
For more blogs, books, videos, or if you are interested in coaching or training with Dr. Rosie, check out her website: www.theparadigmshifts.com. And her podcasts can be found at aginglikeaguru.podbean.com, and at spiritualimmersion.podbean.com. The book Aging Like a Guru – Who Me? and Dr. Rosie’s other books are available at Darvill’s Bookstore, the Cottage Gift Shop, and Amazon.
