As the Paradigm Shifts | Nobody does it like Mother Nature

||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN |||

I’ve heard it said that death is the great equalizer. As true as this statement is, I see that aging, too, is the great equalizer. Stuff happens as we age, and no matter how much power, money, beauty or sex appeal you have, you can’t say no to what Mother Nature has to offer.

One of the intentions of this column is to cultivate not only awareness, but also to cultivate our innate intelligence in a way that sparks a curiosity about what it is like within these human packages we believe is us! Another intention is to share that, regardless of our chronological ages, we are most likely always in the question: Aging – Who Me?!

Can you remember the first time that you thought about death? (I was 5.) Can you remember the first sign of aging that you noticed on or in your body? (I was 35.) I suspect that from that moment on, you, like me, became vigilant, if not hyper-vigilant, to any and all follow-up indications that aging was and continues to be happening to you.

Sex appeal, money, and power can only go so far. DENIAL can only work for so long. Substances such as alcohol, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety medications, facelifts, and the rest, only allow us to avoid and numb the human experience within the aging process that is occurring. At some point, relentless vanity must succumb to reality. Humiliation dies a hard death, out of which sweet humility is born. Such is the gift from Mother Nature.

I love how when talking with people in their 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s, they express that they don’t feel old inside—they feel like they are in their 40s, 30s or younger. They still feel like a kid. As much as ever before, they desire and enjoy all the pleasures that were part of their younger lives. My own experience aligns in very much the same. Though I’m older, now 71, I feel younger, more alive and thriving like never before. The essence of our being is always and forever with us. It never goes away.

So, at some point, we can begin to distinguish ourselves from the sack of bones we call our bodies, that for decades we believed was us. And, we can come to discover that we aren’t aging, it is our bodies that are aging. We get wise—enough to be able to handle the truth of this fact. We get wise enough to willingly detach our identity from our bodies. We wise up and realize that there is no point in fighting Mother Nature. This doesn’t mean we get depressed and crawl into our graves before our time. No. No. No. It actually means just the opposite!

In my book, Aging Like a Guru—Who Me, I wrote that aging like a guru means that there are many points in life where we choose to detach ourselves from who we thought we were, who we wished we were, and who we pretended to be. We come to surrender and accept that this Life-Journey provides many opportunities to question the purpose of being on this planet.

All of the physical signs of aging—a big package of humility-building opportunities wrapped in a big bow, is a gift from Mother Nature. It is for those of us who dare to ask again and again and again: Who the heck am I, what’s the point of my presence on this planet, and how will I know when I’m done? Actually, this gift from Mother Nature is for every single one of us. Some may just not find the delight of what’s inside!

Regardless of our age, each of us, as aging gurus, has our own unique answers to these questions. I’ve discovered that many people, including myself, who willingly sit with themselves and with these questions, are most likely to discover a lightness of being within. We smile more, even laugh, though the circumstances of aging will inevitably put us in our graves.

Clint Eastwood is 92 years old and still active in the movie industry. Apparently, the old guy staring back at him in the mirror is just as startling as it is for most of us. He told some guy “I get up every day and I don’t let the old man in.” I like that!

We come to know ourselves as the ageless one within. We come to accept that we are not our circumstances—we aren’t even our wrinkly, old bodies. We aren’t the old geezer staring back at us in the mirror. As aging gurus we stop taking the whole life-thing so seriously and come to enjoy the simpler pleasures of just being. Or maybe not yet!

Regardless of our age, each of us face a plethora of choice-points, which challenge our sense of Self. Though sometimes grueling and difficult, each life choice, up until now, has prepared us and has led us to this moment of truth, this moment of courage—facing the inevitability that we won’t make it out of this alive. Now what? You have to see the humor in that! Or maybe not yet!!

I really love hearing your comments and feedback. Thank you to all of you who share your thoughts and questions.
 
If you’d like more of Dr. Rosie, check out her website: www.theparadigmshifts.com. You’ll find blogs, books, videos, podcasts, paintings and more. And her books are available through Darvill’s. She is available as a thinking partner and coach.