The concept of aging hit home for me years ago when interviewing my 96 year-old friend, Marj, who explained to me that the opposite of old is not young; The opposite of old is NEW. That statement told me she lives her life with curiosity and openness. Her statement led me to think of lifespan in trimesters instead of stages, the way a mother thinks about her unborn baby. The beginning, the middle and the birthing. As our sense of self expands through life, an ever-expanding sense of identity is required to have a fitness mindset.
Like me, millions of Boomers are in or are entering a new passage into the third trimester of life. The passage that has no end date. Within that space there is a bridge that can transport beyond the fear of aging to another perspective I call ageless. There is no 'landing' place. It is more like a place where there is no gravity to hold us down.
There are dozens of misconceptions about aging. Some think it's all downhill. Others think it's the end of the line so use up the lifeforce. Some believe it's all about the genes, or they can't learn anything new or that depression and loneliness are inevitable.
But I am discovering there are some assumptions that make more sense to me. I believe that my HealthSpan equals my LifeSpan! This perspective allows me opportunities to see my life in balance. It assumes that there is enough health to meet my lifeline. It is not about 'not enough'. It is about the belief I have all the inner resources, including health, that I need.
The questions becomes, "How to tap into those resources?" Now I am curious and open to explore and experience new possibilities. That's why I have created a new 6-week program, Rethinking Aging With EASE.
Do you see yourself as old? Would you like to come along with me to experiment? The new program will begin in late summer. There is no fee. Consider how you might rethink aging in the third trimester of your life. Let's do it together.