For some time, commercial airline pilots have looked suspiciously young to me, but more recent evidence of being “over-the-hill” took me by surprise.
Wishing to replace missing pieces of my stainless steel flatware set, I inquired into their availability through the manufacturer. Mikasa's service representative replied, “We don’t have a curator or historian on staff to search that pattern.”
Whaaaaat? A curator or historian is needed to identify my eating utensils? These were not my Mother's - nor my Grandma’s collection - they can't be that old!
I shook my head, sighed deeply, and resigned -yet again- to being "older."
Oh, how the ego likes to remind us of the confines of time.
As the ego plays on, it also brings gratitude for being alive in these transformative times.
I am blessed to have enjoyed 30,000 meals with this “historic” set of flatware. The spoons were among the first utensils to meet my daughters' sticky fingers, and every piece was shared by friends and family in gatherings of the heart.
And if that's not enough, my hair color matches my favored flatware more each day. I'll bet I didn't think of that as a bright young bride making a wish list in the Hudson's Bay department store.
No matter your current place "on the hill", we're trekking it together. If we pay attention, take care of ourselves and each other, the view keeps improving.
There’s something deep inside us that knows we are beyond swiftly passing time.
I invite you, right now, to prove it to yourself:
Feel into your essence; the very aliveness within. Like an Easter egg hunt, feel under or through any fatigue, energy, or whatever may be most obvious at first glance. Don't think about it, just notice and feel.
Has the underlying feeling of "being you" changed since your earliest memories? You might just recognize a feeling that has been here all along. It doesn't feel old or young.
Our body is time-bound but essential nature is not.
If this is as clear as mud, don't worry - it is a practice.
Recognizing wholeness and completeness beyond limitations is why I practice and share free weekly live-stream iRest@ Yoga Nidra meditations and am gifting you today with a sample recording.
When we know ourselves as more than this time-bound body, we are free to recognize our essence and to be the amazing, joyful human beings we are meant to be.
P.S I can think of no better way to prime the pump of our body as it receives life force, than to breathe consciously and strategically. If you haven’t yet received your seven days of 12-minute practices with me, to “Breathe Better Now”, you can still sign up now.
Oh, and if you like your current flatware, stock up while you can. Time flies. :)