On Cascading

  

When my last birthday came and went, it seemed that something happened. Somehow I began seeing myself visibly as getting older. I imagined myself toddling along to my destinations, smiling broadly, flashing an empty stare, and I was not just coasting along into old age; I was cascading toward it… with a drink in each hand, so to speak! It was not until I was standing in the middle of an ascending elevator full of people that I realized what was happening and exclaimed… out loud… “What am I doing?”

Remembered joys and counting losses...

What was I doing indeed! I had forgotten for a moment that my life is not just a series of days and nights gathering up remembered joys and counting losses. Those of us who think about this do have something to say. We can change our minds about how we shall live our lives. We do not have to unalterably walk a path of uninterrupted concern, just waiting for the next dismissal.

Set our intentions...

It is frankly and fully given to us to change what we shall think about and what we shall do. We really now know that we can be as old or young as we set our intentions. In fact we also know that the mind geared toward youth can often slow down the aging process, and the person who expects extended capabilities does usually experience them.

A series of acts, adventures, disappointments and accomplishments...

Our lives are not set up like a non-stop airline trip, where we simply get on at the beginning of the flight and get off at the end. There are a series of acts, adventures, disappointments and accomplishments that take place along the way, and we will experience each one in turn. They may lift us up, wear us out, inspire or defeat us… all this to the end of our days. Shall we falter… or shall we rise? Perhaps we shall do a bit of both.