RUMI

Cada árbol y cada planta del prado
parece estar danzando;
aquéllos con ojos comunes
sólo los verán fijos e inmóviles.

14 sept 2011

How old would you be, if you didn't know how old you were



I saw this quote recently on a magnet while shopping at a little boutique for birthday cards. And, it struck a chord with me. Lately, I am reminded that time has completely flown by and I catch myself watching as an observer, replaying my life with selective memory and suddenly I feel the tug of a toddler, the call of a pre-schooler and I am taken back to my actual age...38, not 27, as I often think I am. I'm still stuck on 27...

I think we are all challenged with this rather crazy, amusing thought. How is it that even as much as we try to engage in this life, we still can feel like it just passes us by. Just the other day, I was relaying a story with a good friend, recalling a fun memory and it occurred to me that it was 13 year ago that it all happened, not four years ago, as it seems and feels.

So, as a fun/crazy exercise, I invite you to join me as we "try on" what age can actually feel like:

In the morning, I awake feeling about 26. Out the door for a morning run. Knees aren't too awfully achy and I can keep up a good pace, even a good distance before I complete what I would consider a strong workout for the day. In the afternoon, I have enough energy to think I'm 16 again, working on the farm, doing chores in the house, calling girlfriends to chat and catch-up. Come evening, I'm slowly reminded that I'm not as young as I once was. As the 10:00 hour approaches, I'm no longer looking forward to meeting people out; rather, it's time for this girl to put her head upon a pillow and call it a day and

And then there's the milestone invitations. Reminding us just how quickly our days have gone by. As I approach my 20-year class reunion this summer, I am shocked that it actually has been 20 years since we graduated. Then, I think about all that has happened in those short 20 years and again, it doesn't seem to sink in. Why is it that I still don't feel my age? And yet, when I was a little girl, I remember always wanting to grow up so quickly. To be such a big girl. Not anymore.

I think it comes with maturity, wisdom, enough bruises and bumps of life and enough moments to be completely grateful for all that we have before we realize, it's not really about age. It's just about spending each precious day being as present as we can be. Taking just a few seconds a day to call out the gifts that we take for granted: our own breath, seeing the sunlight, feeling the rain, smelling the scent of a newborn baby, hearing the belly laugh of our children, seeing our parents light up at the sight of our arrival (no matter what time of day), feeling the embrace of a our children and spouse as we send them on their way, the smell of the grill cooking our dinner, tasting the goodness of each season as it rolls on by. That's all it is. It's really about the little moments that pile up, one after the other to make up this beautiful thing called life. Numbers are certainly fun to celebrate, but being alive is much more of a reason to throw a party!

I'm Curious:
- If life wasn't numbered by years, how old would you feel?
- What is the "ideal age" for you?
- Why are we so attached sometimes to our age?
- At what point in life, do we simply forget how old we are to just live our remaining days?

http://www.theconversationsthatmatter.com/2/post/2011/06/how-old-would-you-be-if-you-didnt-know-how-old-you-were.html