From Grief to Growth: Redefine Aging Today

Monday, 23 September 2024 Written by Cheryl Richardson

From Grief to Growth: Redefining the Aging Journey

I initially started this blog by saying that it’s been a pretty tough month, but when I stopped to consider all that’s happened in our lives, I realized it’s been a tough year. Last September, one of my closest friends who was battling cancer, started preparing for a cutting-edge treatment in January. Unfortunately, she succumbed to the disease in mid-February. On the day Ileen passed, my father-in-law went into the hospital, came home ten days later, and has been struggling ever since. Then, I lost my Mom unexpectedly this month and came down with COVID for the first time last week.

It would be so easy to see life as unfair, given all that has happened in a short amount of time. But the truth is life is life. Sometimes, tough things happen all at once, and sometimes, we enjoy long periods of uneventful days. Some people have significant burdens, and some get a lighter load.

All week long, any time the worry box on my shoulders started squawking about the injustice of it all, I gently guided my mind back to the cat purring on my lap, the birds crowding the feeder, the feeling of a warm mug of tea against my forehead, and any little sign that healing was happening. You never fully understand how powerful the practice of meditation is until it’s the only tool you have.

Recovering from COVID this week, I’ve thought a lot about life, the importance of aging well, how best to care for elderly parents, the limitations of a broken medical system, my own eldercare, and how the refusal to talk about death and end-of-life planning sets everyone up for unnecessary pain and trauma later on.

There’s a lot to digest, for sure. These topics require honest, deeper conversations, and because I’ve dedicated my life to personal growth and sharing what I learn with others, you can be sure I’m taking lots of notes. That’s because it’s clear that we need to do aging differently. I have no doubt whatsoever that our wisdom years can be some of the most extraordinarily meaningful and fulfilling times of life, but that will not happen without inner work.

We have to be willing to face our fears, confront the healing that the soul demands, take responsibility for our health rather than leave it to others, develop the tools to protect our peace, and have the hard conversations that will ultimately bring us closer together.

Yes, inner work is a blessing. When you’re no longer willing to deny reality, avoid the truth, dissociate from uncomfortable situations, or pretend that everything is okay when it’s not, you discover something important. Our most memorable life experiences are birthed from truth, vulnerability, intimacy, and the ability to be present to life.

It’s time for a new conversation about what it means to age well, and I’m on it. So, stay tuned.

Love,
Cheryl

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