Life Stages: Young, Mature and Good Looking Good

Someone said to me the other day that the three ages of humans are 'youth, maturity and you-look-great'!

I chuckled, nodding.

They followed with a joke about an elephant standing in the middle of a room with people all around them saying, 'And I am right there and still no one acknowledges me!'

That poor elephant! I never thought of its perspective before. But that is not the point.

I used to have an elephant collection because they were my favorite animal. Stuffed animal elephants and hand-carved wooden ones, plaster ones and stone ones and metal ones. I only kept two tiny ones that fit in the palm of my hand. Not the point either.

In the East, these huge animals are known to be peaceful, stable, kind and compassionate. Elephants are universally revered as symbols of strength, wisdom, stability, and good luck. Because of their deep familial bonds and long lifespans, they also represent loyalty, longevity, and compassionate leadership.

I always wanted to be elephant-like. And I always was fond of talking about the elephant in the room. And maybe this particular elephant that I am thinking of today has something to say that I need to hear.

Like ease up.

Live now.

Use your life lessons.

Step fully into being a Saging Aging Elder.

Love is all that really matters.

Maybe being told that I look great when I turn 70 years old next year is going to become the constant elephant in the room. I am going to be officially old to anyone's ears at 70.

I still have a pretty good memory, at least for some things. I am constantly reminding friends who are older than me of things we did 5, 10, 30, 40 years ago. I know I too will forget in the coming years. And then who knows what challenges my body will go through.

I work hard on my health from my brain health to all my hormones including thyroid, to my bone health, to my mitochondria, to my muscles, and heart, lung, liver, bladder and on. But still, I am aware that life is uncertain and things can change in an instant.

And that is the nature of our human lives. I think of the Nine Contemplations. Our life span is ever-decreasing. We are of the nature to decline. We are of the nature to forget. Our loved ones cannot save us. Our bodies cannot save us. Everything will be stripped away. We are of the nature to die.

Whether it is aging or death that is the elephant in the room, I hope to stay steady in my spiritual practice and my ability to accept the nature of things. I am aware that I am on a one-way street and that things that were so important to me at one time now seem like silly attachments. Now I focus on the love and the joy and the present moment.

I want to take my looking-good enough self and march right into the next decade with that proverbial elephant laughing at my side.

Are you young, mature or looking good?