Graceful Aging
You can free yourself from aging by reinterpreting your body and by grasping the link between belief and biology. ~Deepak Chopra
It is interesting to have dialogues with people who are getting older because repeatedly you will hear them say that in their minds they don’t feel their age. I am 45 years old and I find myself saying the same thing as I realize that I had preconceived ideas of what it meant to be middle aged.
Aging is an interesting phenomenon as the child within is still there and yet the process of life has brought experiences that bring enormous changes to our physical bodies, our minds, and our perspective on life.
As I sat in the hygienist chair having my teeth cleaned, I listened as this middle-aged woman began to tell me about her aging father who has Alzheimer’s disease. My heart went out to him and all those who suffer from this devastating disease. We must continue to pray that our scientists will find a cure to relieve the suffering of so many. I pray that those suffering from Alzheimer’s will be able, with noble dignity, to live in the present moment and embrace that which is still real and alive to them. I pray that they will not fight against this illness so hard, only bringing more pain of frustration and anxiety as they desperately try to cling to that which was theirs in this world. It is very hard and painful for human beings to relinquish control, much less having your mind erased from all that you knew.
A number of months ago, I made a visit to my gynecologist since it was time for my yearly exam. I’ve begun to notice some subtle changes as I am now in my mid 40’s. I like planning ahead and like being pro-active in matters that are in my control, so I asked my doctor what it is that I can do to prepare for the “change of life.” It is this same doctor who helped deliver my two children and who counseled my husband and me when we could not get pregnant right away with our first child. The doctor is about my age and when I asked him this question, he smiled with compassion and with thoughtfulness and gave me a profoundly simply answer: “Prayer,” he said.
He did give me some other helpful information to consider but his primary advice was prayer. He explained to me that he has repeatedly witnessed in his patients that those who have a prayer life fare much better than those who do not. This did not come as a surprise to me. I was thankful to have such a fine doctor who is able to include the spiritual realm into his well-established medical practice. I said a prayer for him since he shared with me that he is writing a book on menopause to help his female patients.
Aging seems to be scary for many people. In this materialistic world that we live in where so much emphasis is placed on outward beauty, many forget to focus on something far more important and lasting. Changes take place in the body and in the mind when a human being goes to the One far greater and wiser than himself. A relinquishment of control brings one into a much more peaceful place of existence. One gains a sense of wholeness and life takes on new meaning. New energy is found to walk a new path, perhaps unknown in younger years. It is this path that will bring clarity and wisdom to those who search for it. It is this path that offers a place to lay down the burdens that have been carried in this lifetime. It is this path that will open opportunities of forgiveness for ourselves and others, bringing healing to our mind and soul, and yes, sometimes even to our bodies.
Oh, aged body-mind,
be strengthened today from all your toil.
The wise physician within you - speaks.
Listen carefully as he brings insight and understanding
to that which seems impossible.
He is there to heal and restore -
that which has been torn down through ignorance.
Oh, aged body-mind,
be strengthened today - and know.
Viola Jaynes
