Monday, March 19, 2018

Thoughts on becoming old(er) peacefully -- Or ego's last ditch efforts.

         Of course, ego would have one last dirty trick up its sleeve. So, let me explain. When I was in my early twenties the lifespan for women was only until 72 years old. Yet, here I am at 72, like so many of my friends, going way beyond my expected shelf life. Challenges that generations before never had to be faced are occurring in the masses of baby boomers. Who knew? If everyone of us in my active retirement community got up out of bed and tried to straighten up at exactly the same moment a huge groan would rise into the sky louder than an outdoor rock concert.

          The big challenge isn’t taking care of the pesky tune ups we need to regularly make to our joints, eyes, ears and diets. Oh no. The big challenge is facing the fact that we can’t be what we used to be. We have and will continue to change. We are becoming (dare I say it?) OLD. And it may very well continue on for each of us for as much as another twenty or more years! Making it into a ninety even a hundred year birthday just isn’t that rare.

          Control of our body and our environment is a basic ego strategy. If you have been studying A Course in Miracles for a while you should have noticed by now that this didn’t work real well in the past and it isn’t going to work well right now either. Ego’s main tools are to make you feel unworthy and guilty (why can’t I feel like I did when I was thirty or forty), fearful (I’m becoming an invalid), and then angry (at yourself, your doctors, Medicare) so you can blame someone else for your aches, pains and problems.

          Time for once more (and continuously) ask for help. In my book “Hand in Hand – Recovery and Miracles” there is a neat section entitled “R.A.L.F” that takes you through the process of properly Recognizing what is bothering you, Asking the Holy Spirit for help, Listening to the answer (and you need to stop complaining to accomplish this), and Following and Forgiving to find peace.

          As it has been said, “Growing old isn’t for wimps!”. It is, however, an extended gift from God to be able to again and again and again experience the joy of a long grace filled life.

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