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Glimpse of a Glimmer: Aging |
Category: Articles 21 comments 1 Mar 2010 @ 12:20 by susannahbe : AgingReally nice well written post Scotty and a subject I have been discussing lately with people on other blogs I visit. It was agreed there, that even though the media (at least in the UK) tend to treat aging as some disease! and fuel the desire by those who are influenced by celebrity - to 'get things fixed' as though aging means something is wrong, that has to be put right! There are so many positive images and examples of aging (love the pictures you posted). I am sure that the expectations of people as they age these days is very different from the generations who went before and perhaps a new blueprint for aging is being forged. The thing being discussed on the other blog was about feminine beauty and how the lady in question felt about aging, my comment was - My Mother (who was a startlingly beautiful woman when she was younger) found the aging process very difficult, as so much of what she was about had been based on her looks and attractiveness, she went through a stage of hating what she saw in the mirror. My advice is something that I am now taking on board myself - To not judge yourself on what 'used to be' but to make the most of 'what is', you can wear beautiful colours, wonderful accessories and jewelry and most of all do your best to feel good about yourself! as that counts so much more than an unlined face! She came through the crisis and now still turns heads when she wants to. :-) She is absolutely stunning with her once dark hair now almost platinum and her full make up and big smile - wow! I too took a step recently and had some light streaks put into my hair as I 'may' let my grey hair grow through - I think with a good cut and a big smile it can look wonderful. . . we'll see. I am surrounded by positive role models for aging - My mum learnt to drive when she was 61 - the man I told you about in the comments the other day is 80 and still fascinated and curious - he got a laptop last year and has just discovered the internet! My Uncle Tom is 89 and is amazing - he grows huge amounts of vegetables every year and my cousin remarked last year that he had said his back was aching and she asked what he had been doing and he had been laying paving slabs in his garden! lol 1 Mar 2010 @ 12:24 by susannahbe : Still doing the strange things - in the comments - it happens when you try to put breaks or hold down the shift key - I have let ming know.\r\n\r\nMing is dealing with it - he altered something yesterday to try and stop the comment spam - he is on to it - so all should be better soon. 1 Mar 2010 @ 13:29 by scotty : aging sooo you've been discussing it too - sync LOL ! yep I think the media treat it like a disease pretty much for the same reason that they overwhelm us all with everything bad that happens on the planet - because fear makes money ! REALLY interesting what you say about 'making a new blueprint for aging' !! Yes I think we can probably develop that one eh ! So glad your Mum has decided to still turn heads when she feels like it LOL and sooo you've taken your own advice too eh - don't forget to post a pic of 'the new you' .. personally I like my funny grey coloured hair and wouldn't touch it to change it HEY I earned these silver strands heheheheh Tell your friend that when his back feels better there's some work waiting for him here in the south LOL 1 Mar 2010 @ 13:30 by scotty : grr still strange things happening with the text !\r\noh well - doesn\'t matter - it\'s readable that the most important thing LOL 1 Mar 2010 @ 14:40 by scotty : Growing Older Gracefully "What does the cliche "growing old gracefully" really mean? one needs to grow old gracefully in order to truly live and feel the joy of life. This requires a true transformation in how we view life as well as, perhaps most importantly, how we hold on to what is pleasant and familiar. Our youthful identity and vitality are, for example, especially difficult to surrender. The aging process can be an opportunity for such a transformation. In order for this transformation to occur, one must be willing to be present with what is happening in the moment including opening to one's own inner process. This involves letting go of expectations and past beliefs or experiences that may mask or block what is true in the moment. This letting go allows a deep and natural joy, a joy that lies beyond pleasure and pain, to emerge. As we become older we have a tendency to resist change and to close out the world around us. In order to open to life, we need to open our minds and hearts. Whenever we get caught in the grip of our own or others' criticism, or when we ruminate about that which we cannot change, we can consciously and compassionately become more spacious by watching the mind and observing its negative patterns. Rather than trying to analyze why we are feeling frightened, angry, jealous, or lonely, we can observe these feelings, as we sense them in our bodies, with compassion and allow them to simply be. Working with one's self in this way can be a true spiritual practice. By softening and opening to the painful feelings that we've always run away from in the past, we eventually see what is behind them. We thereby open to the mystery, to the sacred dimensions of life." ~ Consciousness and Healing: An Anthology of Integral Approaches to Mind/Body Medicine. Elseveir, 2004. 1 Mar 2010 @ 15:57 by scotty : some BEAUTIFUL some beautiful works from the couple in the vidéo.. the paintings of 'old' people are just too beautiful  .. Beatrice Wood
age 105 - 9 Days Before Her Death Alice and Richard Matzkin [link] 1 Mar 2010 @ 16:18 by niwalen : I wanna be outrageous! ;-) And Scotty, please give me the phone number of the guy on your front page!! Last year I had a dragon tattooed, of all places, on my right forearm, and a big eight-pointed star on my right HAND! Yeah, I wanted it to be seen! People look at me, and I can tell that they are puzzled! Hee hee hee (I´m 63.) 1 Mar 2010 @ 16:56 by scotty : Outrageous hey - does that mean that you wear Purple ?? heheheh You tattooed yourself a Dragon and a star WOW BRILLIANT!!Good for you ! hmmm just proves my point about the baby-boomers being rebels LOL ( for my fortieth birthday I tattooed an orchid on my .. um on my orchid heheheh! FYI.. The Growing Old Is Not For Sissies (Man) Poster shows John Turner, age 67when the photo was taken - A psychiatrist, John leads a sedentary professional life ("I sit and listen to people all day"), so he compensates by weight-lifting, jogging and taking long walks.... he's about 78 today....WOW just found another photo of him as he is now at 79  1 Mar 2010 @ 19:10 by susannahbe : comment ptoblems and tattoos Ming just let me know that the comment problem has been fixed but existing comments will have to be edited if needed, :-) Wow - tattoos! I haven't got any but love hearing about yours! Niwalen - what is the significence of an eight pointed star? I have wondered this before, as pub in our village is called the star and has a very old and unusual sign depicting an eight pointed star that I always felt was significent. 1 Mar 2010 @ 19:55 by scotty : Thanks for the info have cleaned up the comments a bit :-) 1 Mar 2010 @ 21:08 by scotty : new blueprint re your new blueprint on aging - some people are right on line with you there Susannah .. [link] 1 Mar 2010 @ 21:13 by niwalen : Susannah We call it the Star of Dharma. Or spiritual Destiny. The movements of Aikido are based on the eight-pointed star too. It is sometimes called a Windrose ("rose des vents") that indicates directions, north, south,east and west, etc. 1 Mar 2010 @ 21:20 by niwalen : Scotty Your link re/aging: I particularly like this : "We must collectively build a new story, one that is more compelling and more powerful than the story of decline. Once we have created the new story, we can then do whatever we wish to do within the new context/paradigm that we’ve invented. The new paradigm will influence who we are, what we do and how we do it. And when a critical mass of us share this new view, the new story will become reality." I think it´s very important that particularly we women do not get squeezed out of reality because we supposedly are no longer objects of desire, lol! There´s a whole process with this, in personal terms. And it seems important too that we get the support of lovers and mates and husbands (fathers, brothers, friends). It is important that women support each other. I flew through menopause with absolutely no side-effects, not one hot flash, maybe simply because I knew it wasn´t the end of my life, rather a new door, an initiation into a new phase, a new freedom and a new form of creativity. 1 Mar 2010 @ 21:38 by scotty : Niwalen yes I liked that too :-) and also the bit "growing older is not about decline and loss, but about growth and possibility" ! (actually there are a couple of fairly interesting articles in that blog ) you're sooo right about 'getting support from friends lovers ' and being objects of 'desire' - which is why I mentioned that one of our friends has just begun a new relationship - it's NEVER too late to fall in love - it's NEVER too late to begin ones life over - it's NEVER too late to begin to live ! (oops - forgot to mention that another one of our friends has just started dating again - and she's the doyen at 68 !! ) re: the menopause - I never felt better in my life during that either - no more having to make sure that I had my little 'kit' with me when I went out or away for the weekend LOL .. no problem with hot flushes either - and even before that no menstrual cramps either!! I think one of the reasons for this is - I never heard my mum or my elder sisters complain when I was young .. I never got 'programmed' into thinking myself into that 'orrible womens thing trap ! Ouf ! HOTDAMN I just LOVE being 'old' LOLOLOL 2 Mar 2010 @ 07:58 by scotty : age cartoon  2 Mar 2010 @ 11:43 by scotty : Niwalen (2) I began to read something this morning in which a phrase made me think of your comment where you underlined the importance of the statement 'a critical mass sharing a view ' etc .. the phrase is this .. " When one dreams alone, it is only a dream. When many dream together, it is the beginning of a new reality. ~ Hundertwasser 2 Mar 2010 @ 15:31 by susannahbe : Niwalen Thanks for the information on the eight pointed star. :-) Scotty, I really like that last quote - " When one dreams alone, it is only a dream. When many dream together, it is the beginning of a new reality. ~ Hundertwasser 2 Mar 2010 @ 15:54 by niwalen : I like the quote, too It is so true. :-) 2 Mar 2010 @ 16:00 by a-d : ...Love it! I will put that statement on its World-wide trip! :) ....here it goes: " " When one dreams alone, it is only a dream. When many dream together, it is the beginning of a new reality". ~ Hundertwasser HAhahahah...Ni!.....i love it!...Had soooo many Life -redeeming revelations these last 20 hours....much thanks to you gals!.... so many wonderful POTENT truths about the POWER of LIFE over idiotic concepts that covertly convey to us how fragile life is.... "you do this--- and you/r world will fall apart!" "you do that & you/r world will crumble into nothingngess..." ) Is it a wonder that so many of us has gotten this message that Life Itself is as weak& fragile as a soap bubble!...Anything touches it and it will burst...and be no more!..... Is it a wonder we get anxiety!.... heheh.... Thanks Scotty, for being there! [link] [link] [link] 2 Mar 2010 @ 16:33 by scotty : Hey A-d so nice to see you here again and thankyou for the links - really interesting ;-) Hope that when you're up to it you'll start logging again eh ! So glad you've broken through the 'bubble' that confines us and holds us prisoners of our fears - and instead you're now using another one to float through all the wonder of the universe ! 
(actually I used this image because it's one that really resonates with me ... all these little white spots .. for me they're a bit like what I imagine death to be ... my soul/my consciousness - all in that one little pinprick of light/energy ... floating through the playground of eternity ! ) 3 Mar 2010 @ 09:11 by scotty : just realised not a single guy has posted here ! maybe they don't have 'age' issues LOL actually - haven't seen guys commenting ANYWHERE on the logs ! could it be that they have other interests ?? hmm maybe it's because everything written in the newslogs are so 'complete' that the guys don't feel the need to add a jot !  Other entries in Articles 6 Dec 2011 @ 13:45: The 3 symptoms of killing our dreams 18 Oct 2011 @ 05:36: We seem to be living in interesting times ! 17 Oct 2011 @ 09:01: The Four Agreements 30 Mar 2011 @ 08:41: Paulo Coelho's Blog 16 Mar 2011 @ 10:04: I just found myself a new hero ! 11 Dec 2010 @ 11:33: Christmas in Paris 5 Nov 2010 @ 14:32: Listen With Your Heart 5 Nov 2010 @ 14:26: People come into your life for a reason 8 Oct 2010 @ 05:01: The Awakening 6 Oct 2010 @ 15:13: Nature in yellow
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1 Mar 2010 @ 10:59, by Scotty