The Beauty Full Art of Aging

“The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at the leisure with a liberal allowance of time.” - a quote by Henry David Thoreau I saw posted at Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s a loaded quote touching on many themes of art, time, wind, subtle change, patience, enjoyment, and so much more. While Thoreau is talking about the beauty and the masterpieces of art that are found on this Earth that have been created over many human lifetimes, it concerns all forms of art.

Any masterpiece does not happen overnight. It is a process that consists of many hours, dedication, sacrifice, growth, evolution, development and sometimes even discomfort. I cannot help but think how this relates to the human body as well, and what a masterpiece it is. I get saddened by the numerous advertisements for “looking and feeling young,” and the growing popularity and commonality of plastic surgery for the “perfect” look. To me nothing is more beautiful than the minds and bodies of those in their later ages. The face of someone in their 70s, 80s, or even later is so full of wisdom, life and stories. Every crease, every line, and every muscle has taken years to form and develop into such a fine detail and each is full of information and beauty.

How beautiful is that – to be touched with years of life. It was a pleasure to celebrate this beautiful art as my grandmother just turned 80. Happy Birthday Bedstemor!

- Becky Meldrum

The Ultimate Tool

Sometimes I wonder how I can make a difference in this large world, but as I was reading Mitch Thrower’s The Power of Thought in my last issue of Triathlete, I was reminded that in this world of technologies and gadgets, there is still only one ultimate tool that lets us create our reality and make our life be what we want it to be - our brain. Between our ears, we have thousands of thoughts that occur throughout the day. As Mitch points out, according to the National Science Foundation, people think anywhere from 12,000 – 50,000 thoughts per day!! He asks: “what will you do with this new superpower?”

This is what I’ll do with this superpower – I’m going to continue to have numerous thoughts circulating, but learn how to gather the positive and beneficial thoughts. I’m not going to clear my mind of thoughts, but instead use meditation to focus on certain thoughts that bring peace, joy and community to this world. I’m also going to protect this superpower – I’m going to feed it good food, good thoughts, exercise it, and provide a clean home for it, which means I must also protect my environment, my body, and my essence.

What are you going to do?