There’s an irony in the way our interest
and enthusiasm for life increases as our energy and agility gradually
wanes. At least that’s been my experience. Ongoing! Still,
I’d say I’m by no means alone in that: Why else would
our language record such pearls of wisdom as “Youth is
wasted on the young” or “You can’t put an old
head on young shoulders”, were it not pointing to the growth
in wisdom and realisation that normally accompanies the passing
of the years?
For there is a kind of compensation built
in to nature. As our physical energy diminishes, our capacity
for contemplation and
awareness, seems to grow. Our ability to engage in many of life’s
activities may be on a downward slope, but our capacity to savour
life and be aware of its wonder and beauty is on the up and up.
Or can be, if we give it a chance.
Let me make a simple, practical illustration.
As a youngster, I hated having to walk anywhere; I was always
impatient to get
to wherever the “action” was, and resented the nuisance
of having to travel there! Nowadays, walking is a pleasure; an
opportunity to be aware of life around me and life within me!
Youth can be a time of boredom punctuated by thrills and high
points; mature age can deliver a quieter, more even, more constant
satisfaction in being alive!
Awareness is what makes the difference.
And awareness is nurtured by a contemplative attitude. And
contemplation can be cultivated.
It’s a matter of choice. If we develop within us a reflective
spirit, we will have passed through the doorway to appreciation
and gratitude. And a grateful heart is constantly open to happiness
and delight.
So take heart, my fellow travellers.
As we move to the nether side of middle age, and enter the
autumn – or even winter – of
life, may our conviction, ever deeper, be: “The best is
yet to come”!
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