The Present Moment

I have carried Goethe’s comment with me for many years:

Life is the childhood of our immortality

Here is an interesting fact: “Beginning January 1st, 2011 every single day more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65. That is going to keep happening every single day for the next 19 years.”
When asked about retirement, I have always wondered if that mean one was “tired” the first time. It is also a statistic based on actuarial data that if one has not prepared to carry on with their life and have a passion or interest in the next part of their life there is a highly likelihood of them dying prematurely in 3 or 4 years.

More than 10,000 people turn 50 every day in the U.S.; how do they handle this shift? Claiming Your Place at the Fire invites this group of “new elders” to ask four key questions: Who am I? New elders synthesize and transfer the wisdom of the past into the present. Where do I belong? They have a powerful sense of where they have come from, where they are, and where they are going. How do I bring my passions alive? They rejoice in rediscovering their life’s work, their calling, their vocation. What is my life’s purpose? Freed from imposed schedules and demands, new elders now find the freedom to create their lives anew. This timely book describes how new older adults can rekindle the good life, relight the fire within, and share that warmth and light with others.
Here are some readings you may want to reflect on:

The Promotion of Successful Aging Through Mindfulness Skills Training
The Art of Presence: An Exploration of Mindful Practices and Aging
The Anti-Aging Health Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness - The Call To Inner Work
Mindfulness of the Aging Body
Elisha Goldstein reminds us: I need to practice mindfulness as part of my work day and for the rest of my life. For it truly is about creating the rest of my life even if it is only a few minutes at a time. Present moment, beautiful moment.

Camaldolese Hermitage-Big Sur