Joy of ageing esoterically - join a conversation

OUR FUTURE - LET'S CELEBRATE

1/7/2019

What does the energy of us being in celebration offer to the rest of the world? Our joyous way radiates out and makes a difference as it shows how it is possible to age joyfully and purposefully.
Have you noticed how some people ignore the joyful ones, others observe and wonder how someone can be joyful in their elder years? Some want it, some don’t!

This month we continue with our topic of conversation 'Our Future, Let’s Celebrate,' and we are keen to hear from our readers what you see there is to celebrate in your Elder Years.

When we were younger celebrating might have been something exciting like a birthday party with all its ‘bells and whistles’, or it might have been any event that was exciting and stimulating – usually needing ‘others’ to join in the celebration. Now in our elder years ‘celebrate’ has taken on a deeper meaning: to honour, observe, recognise, acknowledge and appreciate the beauty of us being in ‘Full Bloom’.

Before posting a comment you may like to read our new article on the Wisdom of Elders page, 'Beauty in Full Bloom'.

To add to the conversation, please click on the 'Comments link' below the 'Like' Button.

23 Comments

Anne McRitchie

30/6/2019 05:53:22 am

How many of us believe that we can only celebrate in the company of others? As Bernadette shares in her article, celebrating ageing does not always have to involve other people. Sometimes we can celebrate by having a glorious day at home, alone and allowing ourself space and time to reflect, appreciate and nurture ourself.

Gayle

1/7/2019 09:52:37 am

I agree Anne. The word 'celebration' comes loaded with all kinds of 'pictures' about what a celebration is. And, yes, those pictures usually involve a lot of other people...and noise makers and party hats or at least a cake! But as we get older our appreciation for small things, of simple things increases and we can find ourselves feeling celebratory over a sunny day or a conversation with someone standing next to us in a queue. Today I'm celebrating Monday.

Joan Calder

10/8/2019 11:48:50 pm

Allowing ourselves time and space to enjoy a day at home on our own to appreciate, reflect and nurture ourselves is for many of us a new skill to be learned after long ives of busyness and drive and time filling. So let us celebrate together our ability to commit to learning a new skill that will enrich our lives as we grow older, a skill that is not a learning about an outside subject or physical task, but a learning to let our lives unold from within.

Gayle

11/8/2019 11:08:20 am

Joan, I love what you have added to the conversation - with the suggestion that we commit to learning a new skill - that being learning to let our lives unfold from within. And I'll add enjoying the experience!

Ingrid Langenbruch link

1/7/2019 06:17:07 am

With celebration comes appreciation. If appreciating ourselves and others would be a lifelong celebration – boy – the world would look different. But most of us have never learned this. Growing up the demand is usually: better, especially better than..., more, criticism, comparison and competition.
For me ageing has brought life experience and – appreciation of myself and so also of others. I can celebrate myself now and where I am from where I have come from and what I used to live. Much to celebrate and appreciate. I can look back now at my life and smile at my mishaps, forgive myself for my mistakes and wrong doings and celebrate all the wonderfull things I Did have experienced throughout my life and celebrate the joy I live now. I can see how this inspires younger people who want to live that too.

Gwen Styger

3/7/2019 12:43:42 pm

I met an older woman at a bus stop two days ago. She was eye catching because she was radiating joy. She was delighted that I, a stranger, was catching the same bus as she was and we started a conversation immediately. She told me how she loves every second of every day no matter what is going on in her life and from the sparkling clarity in her blue eyes, I could see that she was telling me the truth. We parted at my bus stop, both enriched by the sharing of our ride together and her parting words were "this social connection will keep me going all day. This is what the world needs more of". The simplicity of sharing joy on a bus in a strange city with a stranger .....what a blessing, something worth celebrating!

Gayle

3/7/2019 03:58:02 pm

I love this story Gwen. It demonstrates that Joy can be this simple. Life doesn't necessarily wire us to make the time and space to connect with strangers. As we age, we naturally slow down and discover that we do have the time to make these connections. And it's never too late. I'm going out with friends tonight but tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can find a stranger and connect! Thanks for the inspiration.

Anne McRitchie

12/7/2019 03:23:24 am

Thank you for sharing this simple and inspiring encounter with a stranger Gwen. I too am constantly surprised at the number of joy-full connection one can have in a day once you are open to strangers, even in the local supermarket. People are 'hungry' for connection with other human beings and especially so when joy is in the equation. For most people' joy' is like the measles, it is contagious and anyone can catch it even if they think they are immune!

Mary Holmes

15/7/2019 02:19:59 pm

I totally agree with you Gwen, the joy it brings to us both, especially when meeting with a stranger on a bus and both sharing your joy of life in our ageing years.

Gayle

12/7/2019 09:01:19 am

I read a disturbing bit of news this morning - I mean it wasn't about another mass shooting or another war. Have I become immune to these every day tragedies? I'm not sure but I know they no longer shock me, sadden me yes, but they do not surprise me. The disturbing news I read was that you can now order an Uber ride and designate that you want it to be "conversational free". In other words, you do not want to make small talk with the driver. Now this shocked me. People are specifying that they do not want connection. I really enjoy talking with the Uber drivers. Little connections serve to remind us that we are all one. Anything that does that is worth Celebrating.

Bernadette Curtin link

15/7/2019 05:03:32 pm

Is this trend because people have become so disconnected with their iPhones? I enjoy connecting to taxi or Uber drivers, and when in another city they have lots of information to share.

Gayle

20/7/2019 05:39:47 pm

I'm reluctant to blame it on mobile phones (maybe because I love my iPhone and can't imagine life without it!) But if we take it wider to say people are becoming less social because of the amount of screen time, where they are totally in control, hmmm, you might be on to something there Bernadette.

Susan Wilson

18/7/2019 06:14:11 am

I like to celebrate that we can and do live in the future where we return to our past. Celebrating the fact that by living our future now we are expanding back to our origins in the past. This is the magic of God where we are able to live vibrationally moving our vehicle of expression/our body, to where it is constellated to be for the evolution of all. How glorious is that? Claiming the space we bring is a celebration of life as it is meant to be offering opportunities for all of humanity to return to the flow of the universe. That is what brings me joy, appreciation and celebration.

Gayle

20/7/2019 05:49:54 pm

Hello Susan - Your comment conveys a deep appreciation for a very BIG picture look at life. Many people may not be able to understand what you mean when you say 'living a future where we return to our past.' After thinking about it, I came up with this little story.

We were breathed forth by God, we (humanity) took a wrong turn in the road (made unloving choices), got lost (have created a mess) and are now finding our way back home. So we are walking a return path to God. We need to live in a way that stops adding to the mess and starts to reduce the mess (by re-imprinting) and then we will, in the future, be home with God where we started.

Is this another way to say it?

Susan Wilson

1/8/2019 05:46:01 am

Yes, you can say it that way Gayle, thank you. What I love about life is that we all offer a diversity of expressions so that all can tap into our truth and wisdom within us. We are meant to be like a reflection of nature, all made of the same divineness but each has a different part to play in the whole. Another example is each different part of a jigsaw makes up the whole and we don't need to change our part because then the jigsaw would not be complete.

Elizabeth L. Douglas

2/8/2019 08:12:02 pm

Love all the beautiful expressions and each one comes through our elderly bodies.I became very aware in my body what joy is and how it isn't anything I had picture for many lives in many celebrations of parties etc.or in laughing uncontrollably over something said or seen.Embracing living joy in my elder years is totally opposite of my younger years meaning my 50-60's My greatest joy in everyday and in every way is simplicity in expression, first with myself,then others,it cuts out the crap and the fluff and the pretense instantly. Life is celebration which brings a whole new dimension to what we call ageing.

Gayle

6/8/2019 12:12:12 pm

Elizabeth, Your comment inadvertently made me laugh - referring to our younger years as being in our 50's and 60's. haha Its all relative, eh! But I know exactly what you mean. I 'thought' Joy was some elusive super happy ++ state of mind. Now, having connected to my body I can feel Joy in the simplest of things, as you say in simply expressing what is felt or observed in that moment,. This is the gift of ageing, getting more comfortable in our own skin and discovering that it is loads of fun in there.

Sandra Newland

3/8/2019 01:39:17 pm

Susan, I like your example of the jigsaw. I used to think I had to fit in by not being different but now I know that,we can celebrate our uniqueness in the knowing that, like jigsaw pieces, we all have different shapes and colours but are all needed to make up the whole picture and each piece is of equal importance to the whole.

Lynne Paull-McLeod

15/8/2019 07:27:19 am

I so get what you are saying here Sandra about feeling like you had to fit in. I can still get caught with that at times however I'm loving the sense of freedom as I get older to be authentic and not feel that I have to please everyone by agreeing with them. The idea that if I 'rocked the boat' by having my own opinion on something meant that I never really got to know myself via my own true expression. We do this with clothes when we feel like we have to wear what's in fashion rather that bringing through our own flair. Letting go of that belief was delightfully liberating. Authenticity enriches life for everyone.

Gayle

18/8/2019 04:31:25 pm

I think you've tapped into a big key in Ageing Joyfully, live authentically - and as you say, "Authenticity enriches life for everyone."

Lynne Paull-McLeod

20/8/2019 10:54:25 am

Yes Gayle, I'm sure there's truth in that. I think one of the lovely things for me about ageing joyfully is not feeling hemmed in by societal 'norms' around what clothes are considered 'socially acceptable' for a woman of my age, whether I'm in my 60's or 90's or somewhere in between. In fact the older I get the freer I feel. I'm reminded of when I was a girl and listening to my mother and other women in the town remarking harshly, "that's mutton dressed up as lamb", if a woman was wanting be younger in her style of clothing. I love that we are free to express ourselves in whatever way we choose now and I appreciate those women who have walked this path before me who have broken through those limiting stereo types. Liberating ourselves from that belief enhances our inner beauty.

Gill Randall link

1/10/2019 03:42:05 am

That’s so true Lynne, I love the freedom of not having to follow a fashion like I did when I was younger, but choosing what I feel comfortable in and clothes I love whatever the style of colour. There’s celebration of ourselves in our elder years that we can express and show a true joy of ageing to the younger generations.

Rosemary Liebe

14/4/2020 01:31:12 pm

I love and agree with what you have expressed Lynne and your last sentence "Liberating ourselves from that belief enhances our inner beauty" really grabbed my attention and a continuation of your sentence flashed through my mind as, and that inner beauty then shines out for all to see and feel. A true celebration all round.

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Photos copyright © by the photographers: Alan Johnston, Clayton Lloyd, Dean Whitling, Desiree Delaloye, Iris Pohl, Steffi Henn, Steve Leca ,
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OUR FUTURE - LET'S CELEBRATE

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