Watching Our Loved Ones Grow Old
All my life I have been told, “Don’t ever get old” as if we have any control on how long we get to live for. I argue that the alternative is to die young, and I don’t believe that anyone would wish for that option either. I personally believe it’s a blessing to grow old…to experience life to the fullest for as long as you possibly can…to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones…to enjoy another day of sunshine or to eat your favorite food once more….and to watch as our friends and family grow old alongside us, experiencing all of the different seasons that life brings. We’re only in these bodies for so long. Sometimes it can feel like an eternity, and other times it goes by in a blink.
This march towards old age is filled with so much beauty and sorrow, equally enriched in lessons. Aging is an inevitable part of our human experience. Watching our grandparents, our parents, our children, all age evokes so many emotions within us: love, nostalgia, fear, and gratitude to name a few. This natural process invites us to embrace change, to see beyond the physical transformation and to recognize the eternal soul within each of us.
There is a library of knowledge that we can learn from our elders. They carry a lifetime of wisdom from their own trials, triumphs, and experiences. They offer the rest of us invaluable insight into resilience, faith, and the essence of what it is meant to live fully. We are reminded through them, to appreciate the present and to learn from the past. As we all in turn must take part in the care of our elders, we learn to develop an abundance of compassion and patience. It is a sacred duty that calls us to serve with love and humility. We practice selflessness and deepen our capacity for empathy. It is not a task, but a profound spiritual practice, a way to honor the divine within each person.
As we all understand too well, aging brings about vulnerability as our physical and mental faculties wane. This vulnerability reminds us of how precious and fragile each life is. We’re reminded to cherish every single moment and to practice being present with our loved ones. While the physical form changes, the soul’s connection will forever remain eternal. The essence of each of us, our spirit, transcends the limitations of the body. Love is timeless and our connections continue beyond the confines of our earthly existence. When you think about it, we are all just walking each other home.
As we witness the aging of others, take a moment to reflect on your own aging:
Are we living with intention and love?
Are we fostering relationships that will sustain us throughout the seasons of our lives?
Can you live in the present moment? Can you fully appreciate the smallest things to note in your life?
What can you do in this exact moment to live more fully? To embrace each new day with gratitude?
Can we work towards finding at least one moment or act (no matter how small) that brings us joy in each passing day?
“Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough.” Groucho Marx
