My Reality of Ageing

The one reality that confronts each of us every day of our life, ”ageing”. I don’t often reflect on this thing call “age”… I live it moment by moment, minute by minute, hour by hour etcetera etcetera…don’t we all….

So when I paused to consider this topic, I wasn’t drawn to the macro level of observation, of analysis, of discernment, of whatever…. So Government policies, Age Care Group practices and the like, didn’t come to mind although I am made aware daily of the societal impacts of ageing. I’m drawn more into the interpersonal dynamics that are part of it. It’s more  a “Me and You and Them” thing and that’s what I share here. So here’s my take on it…

AGE……

 “A” is for  Appreciation……. I simply see into and value more, so much of life and my living it. I  sense, generally, although there are always exceptions, my connection with all who are in my “world”, both local and global. I understand a little more, I value a lot more, I love a lot more …  whoever, whatever, whenever “they” are in my life... past, present and hopefully, to come. And critically, this reflects my appreciation of myself. Can I love others if I do not love myself? Most importantly, for me to grow in appreciation of myself I need the experience of others expressing their appreciation of me…. It’s symbiotic.

“G” is for Gratitude…. with the wisdom of hindsight, I am so thankful... for all those times past and present where I encountered, was drawn into, was knocked over by, was dragged by, was challenged by, was brought near to death by, etcetera etcetera…. People, places and things. I survived them! I learnt from them! I had an opportunity to assist/add to/amend/edit them. And all of these times and experiences taught me to be Grateful.

“E” us for Encouragement…..the forgotten virtue!  This is what we each need as we walk through life and all it offers and takes from us. It’s true, we can’t do life alone, as much as we try.  And maybe most importantly of all, since we’re still standing after all these years of living life, we are called to Encourage those following us. The younger generations i.e. anyone under 70, really (!) needs Encouragement. I recall one of my mentors telling me at a difficult time in my journey in my early thirties, that “when your head meets your heart, you know”. I have shared that wisdom on occasion with young folks and some have told me how that encouraged them to keep on keeping on.

Now to the heart of the AGEing experience…. We share it! When we hear stories of friends with ageing relatives in care or at the other end of the continuum of the years, stories of unbridled youth running rampage, how do we respond? I wonder how we might perceive these situations if we considered the AGE factor and  expressed it? And let’s be honest, who amongst us doesn’t at times hanker for expressions of AGE to us?

So then, let’s Appreciate both in ourselves and others, just who we/they are and what we/they offer to others? Then let’s express Gratitude for our/their qualities and contributions. And most importantly, let’s Encourage /ourselves/them day by day through expressions of interest, acknowledgement, and especially Appreciation and Gratitude for ourselves/them.

My dream is for the younger generations coming to realise just how much we “Oldies” yearn for expressions of AGE. Too often we hear them only in our eulogies… Let’s get onto it right now and witness to our AGE so others can learn what it’s like as they too AGE.