Took me awhile, but i’m finally starting to embrace my 50′s right about now (it’s about freaking time i’m halfway through them!).
I realized something about them last weekend on our long and lingering kayak afternoon… my aging body is forcing me to meander through things, and that actually feels good.
When i was younger i would totally get into the challenge of a long walk, kayak ride, bike ride… pushing myself through it… better, bigger, faster, longer. I use to get great satisfaction in the push.
When i hit the point a few years ago where i couldn’t count on my body for what it use to give me, i was bereft. It felt like i lost something big. To me this was the hardest part of the aging process…. loosing the abilities i use to have.
As i was out there the other day, paddling for hours (conserving my energy so doing it really slowly!), i realized there’s something that i’ve been missing all these years. The stopping and smelling of the roses (or seaweed in this case!). In that moment i finally embraced this aging process. In that moment i realized it’s created a new speed.. that of a meander.
I might be slower, and might not be able to go as far, but i get to see more and now see that i can enjoy the process more than that outcome.
And that’s a good thing, n’est pas?
Amen!