The Fight Against Aging
I recently started getting some white hairs coming in. Now, for most individuals, this is an interesting and challenging experience. And for me, I did what most do when it first happens…I remove them. But it dawned on me the other day, that these white hairs our powerful little teachers and I now view them differently.
A wise individual once said, “We all want to feel physically like we did in our twenties with the wisdom we have acquired in our fifties.” At first I agreed with this statement as most will when hearing it, but I now find this statement fairly odd and wish to challenge it. Why do we reject so much of our present experience? Why are we always seeking to have it be different from what it really is?
Eckhart Tolle is universally known for his work with such books as, The Power of Now and A New Earth. Eckhart believes that we would all have a more enjoyable experience if we could really be in the moment. He writes something to the effect, that stress cannot be felt in the present. If we are really in the present, peace is experienced. When you feel stressed, anxious, worried or unsure…check in with your thoughts. There is a good chance those thoughts are more in the future wondering what comes next. If you feel sad, depressed, heavy, regretful or even remorseful…again, check in with your thoughts. There is a good chance your thoughts are in the past, weighing down your present experience from things that once were. When we live in the moment, we see things for what they really are. And using our example, if white hair is on your head, it’s simply on your head…worrying about aging too quickly or thinking about past associations you have with that will only make it feel more stressful.
Going back to the statement…we all want to feel physically like we did in our twenties with the wisdom we have acquired in our fifties. Aging holds stress for many. Why is it that we try to suspend it? When we were younger, we were so excited to grow up, to learn, to become, to achieve. Sometimes we couldn’t wait to grow up, we wanted it to get here as soon as possible. But when we get to a certain point, we want this whole process to stop, the very process that brought us to here. How ridiculous. And like one of my favourite authors says, “When you fight with reality you lose, but only 100% of the time.” Byron Katie.
The new approach I am going to take is that I have earned every white hair that is on my head and let it stay there. Every time I see them, I am reminded that life is a process and this is where I am at. I challenge you to do the same, maybe not with white hairs, but something else in your life that is difficult to accept. It certainly makes for a more gentle and enjoyable life experience.
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