Challenges

“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” (Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free) Resilience is one of those words that I don’t quite understand, especially in relation to myself. When I’ve seen it in other people or heard other people describe resilience, it’s always been in the face of some terrible situation or happening that has taken place or is presently happening in a person’s life. The person speaking usually says of the person experiencing this event or situation that: “he/she is resilient and can get through this” or some similar cliche. Two phone calls I had this past week have given me reason to think about how resilient we are all called to be in this life. ...

As we approach the end of 2015, thoughts about years past and particularly 2015 come to mind. My own experience of life after 66 years on the planet reveals that there are always many varieties of experience - some that bring untold happiness and some tinged with sadness and grief. This is true of any given day or year. My own personal review of this year finds me thinking about the massive job it was to downsize from the place we called home for 30 years. This job took up most of the year. There were challenges along the way but with wonderful teamwork and support, the job got done. It’s nice that this particular season of life is over and another has begun. “Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.” (Thomas Merton) What was planted in my soul this year is the fact of impermanence - things change and we move with the changes. I thought at one time that I would live and die in that house but my feelings about ownership and possessions changed - all for the good. ...

This book found me. “The Grace in Aging” by Kathleen Dowling Singh was staring me in the face on a recent visit to the Yorkville Library in Downtown Toronto. When I started blogging, it was my intention to cover many topics related to aging because of my own age. However, the blog took on a life of its own and evolved in its own way. Today, though, I highly recommend the above book to all the baby boomers out there who have been in the least bit concerned about aging. Notice that this book is not about aging gracefully but about “The Grace in Aging.” The concerns here are not about what’s on the outside but what’s on the inside. ...

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” ― Rumi I accidentally knocked over one of my favorite vases which has served me well for many years. As you can see in the above collage, it’s a very beautiful one. You can also see that it was broken into many pieces and beyond repair. I was disappointed but not devastated. Whether that has to do with the aging process and the “letting go” stage of life or some other process at work is not quite clear to me. ...