Carolyn Riker – The Beauty Of Aging and What It teaches US

A guest blog

Today if you do one thing remember to breathe deeply into those spaces that have caused so much hurt and exhale through to the other side where a bird might be perched. Or the moon might be resting ever so quietly on a fence.

Today if you do one thing, think about who you are right now, and who you were one year ago. Five years ago. Ten years ago. 15 years ago.

Take all the time you need. Go slow. Breathe belly deep. Then jot down a feel, a word, a few sentences for each. Tuck this note inside your heart.

Let the waves of yesteryears wash through to this moment. What you’ve learned and understand, are often the mistakes that teach us the most.

Please be aware, this fabricated, societal notion of perfection is a fallacy. Like filtered portraits that wash away the blemishes and wrinkles to instill an eternal youth. Which also removes the learning we went through.

And yet, here we are. Side-by-side. Changing up what may feel so far down. Leading us to cherish our oddities, the weight we’ve gained, and the wrinkles we see. These variances are part of our intelligence. Ultimately, we realize our weaknesses are the beauties that grow us real. Aging spells us to the deeper path of our soul.

How beautiful it is and more often necessary to walk inside a night sky watching our eyelashes brushstroke a paradise from the stars in our soul’s knowing eyes.

One of the best things we can do is to honor where we are at. There’s no need to power through when our soul is telling us to go slower. Aging is the beginning to honor ourselves.

Let’s listen to the rivulets. Let’s close our eyes to see what our dreams teach us about our personal soul’s rhythm.

There we will discover the valleys are equally if not more valid to the marrow which sustains us. We reevaluate the older paradigms telling us otherwise.

We honor who we are.

This shows self-respect and creates fresh boundaries into a most tender form of self-love and a welcoming alibi.

Carolyn Riker is the author of three beautiful books of poetry and prose. She’s also a licensed mental health therapist in private practice. Her books are available on Amazon.