As we grow older, both our body and brain transform. Brain scans of older people show the effects of time. This manifests externally as a slowing down of connections, memory, and what was once the automatic reactions of body movements. Among other things, legs no longer bounce.
I have used a motorcycle story to illustrate this. People that I know are more reluctant to drive their motorcycles as they grow older. This is because they no longer have as much of the instinctive, automatic reaction time that they once had. Now they must stop and think about certain movements – coordination that had previously been second nature. Now, more second thoughts. Obvious downside.
My observation too. Although my reaction time, in my opinion, is still quite good, there is more of a thought process, along with a sluggish decision time. But in a way that is all right. For the body is now such that it is moving slower, in conjunction with some of my physical issues. Aging.
There is, I discovered, a beneficial aspect of this stage of life. And that is the application of focus. In those moments of – what to do next – there is an opening for focused awareness to take place. Much of my life’s spiritual understanding and quest has involved being consciously aware at each moment. Of course it comes and goes as the mind wanders this way and that. But the meditative practices that I have done, and continue to do, always come back to the awareness of my conscious presence. To focus on what is happening in the now, being centered.
I have found that the requirement of focused engagement with the outer world, from basic movements of the body, to use of the mind, are benefiting from being consciously present. It is like a little reminder to “be here now”, and not off with some chatter or distraction. I take this as a blessing – one of the benefits of being older, and I hope wiser. Fortunately, at this age, I am no longer concerned with the slow pace. As I like to say about retirement, it’s about the “slowness of being busy”.
Aging is about transitions and compensating for limitations. They can be frustrating at times, as my mind remembers the skills I had, and expects the body should accommodate. Precise and graceful no longer rule my motions.
But with acceptance, and a lack of resistance to that which is, transitions become more understandable for the mind. An expanded perception of what is taking place in the body can liberate, in a positive way, the responses we make. With acceptance comes peace. Conscious awareness of each moment can put a smile on the face and open the heart. This re – focus opens another dimension, expanding our lives. A.S. 2/14/23
