1,043 thoughts on “On the Shelf or Embracing Life?”

1. I was invited to a birthday party as a friend of mine was celebrating her 60th Birthday, my friend showed us a film of herself from a very little baby to the present day and it was clear to see that as a child she was very sad it was unmistakable and what struck everyone who watched the short video was that at 60 she looks far younger more alive than she did when she was in her 20’s, 30’s 40’s the before and after was unmissable. At the tender age of 60 my friend is more alive has more vitality than ever before and life is only just beginning. There is no way that they will be thinking of retiring any time soon they have years ahead of them to contribute back to society, leading the way in showing how life can be lived full of vitality and purpose.

2. This statement stood out for me, “there is grace in accepting growing older and a huge service in taking responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society”. How true does this feel, there is nothing shameful about growing old and those myths that we hand the batten to the younger generation or it’s time to retire continues. Gone are the days that the elderly be cared for by the children, retirement or nursing homes have gone through the roof. The responsibility of the ageing population now falls on systems, when really it is upon every individual to be responsible to age with joy. It is that simple.

   1. ‘To age with joy’. When someone does this their sparkle touches everyone they meet. As our bodies age and this, by choice, can be gracefully so, the light inside can continue to shine. Often we see this in someone’s eyes.

3. People are also looking for longevity, and have little if any True responsibility for the multitude of advancements or evolution toward our Essences, Inner-most-hearts / Souls.

4. To me, elders are about presenting a role model, and as we all grow and age, we too are more and more important as a role model, despite the fact that all through life we are role models for all at any time. So what kind of role model do we want to present as we get older? Do we want to retreat from society and escape responsibility (such as the current societal model asks of us as we age)? OR do we want to remain active and connected with people in the community and see how we are needed to support, in whatever way this may be (as a reflection, offering support through our lived experiences that have taught us so much)? That is the question and leaves much to ponder on – not so much in terms of what the best answer and outcome would be for all, but rather in terms of our capacity to embrace this as a responsibility and live it, not matter our age as role modeling as an elder can begin at any age.

   1. Recently I have observed the much younger generation visiting the elderly in the nursing homes. What a contrast to observe the interactions and how the children bring joy of life into a place where the aches and pains prevails the residence. You can see the elderly light up, and like many needing that humanly contact without any judgments.

      We need to see more of the community being involved in caring/participating with all generations.

      1. I totally agree with you Shushila we should not be putting elderly people into nursing homes they should be kept in the community as long as possible and cared for as part of the community, not put into homes and forgotten by society. So many elderly people that I have spoken to think that they are a burden on their family and society its as though there is an unspoken rule that when you reach a certain age you put yourself into a home and vegetate there, what a ghastly way to die.

   2. Supporting in whatever way we can is fun, ‘the simplicity of the responsibility on offer to support and mentor others, sharing what we have learnt along the way.’

5. Having an open curiosity about life, an inquisitiveness just like when we are small children is an absolute necessity at all times, but more so as we age, for this is what allows us to feel and see what is actually going on and what is or may be needed for us to step in and take responsibility in whatever way that presents itself. The ultimate elder is one who has taken opportunities and embraced the responsibility, not without having made mistakes but with an openness and curiosity to learn and grow and never stop no matter the age – this then simply is the role model we too can see and be inspired by.

   1. We can support others in many ways, ‘It is now our experience that our ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others.’

6. Judy and Matilda – I love this blog and how you have nailed some of the myths around ageing – this is totally a myth buster of aging article! So many of these things need to be spelled out and shown how we do not need to be governed by these at all!

7. “sharing what we have learnt along the way.” The responsibility we have as we grow older is to offer inspiration to others that life is to be lived in true brotherhood with all.

   1. As elders we can contribute so much to society, our wisdom and love are present to be shared.

8. The older I get the more at ease with myself I become, the less invested I am in outcomes or how people feel about me, but the more my relationships deepen.The older I get the more beautiful I am feeling too and the more joy!

9. I know someone who has gone to work in the Middle East just so he can get enough money to retire early because he does not want to spend his entire life working. But what if our bodies are actually made to work and that to be idle puts a stress on our bodies that we are not aware of? I say this because I know so many people that have retired and with in a year or two have suddenly died, or they develop dementia or some illness or disease and yet before they retired they were seemingly very healthy and full of beans.

10. Whether we are a boy, girl, man, woman, mother, father, or elder, there seems to be collections of restrictive ideas of how we are supposed to be. I can certainly feel those coming into my life as I age, the other option to looking outside of myself to show me the way is to simply be myself and explore it as I go.

11. Breaking the consciousness and fear around ageing is so needed and I feel this fear stems from us not living life in full.

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13. When I meet an elder who is living life to the max, ageing gracefully and joyfully, I light up and feel deeply inspired. They dismantle the fear of ageing and show us how rich, playful and full life can be no matter what age we are.

    1. So beautifully said Chan – it is a true support, an inspiration and an uplifting experience indeed to meet a true elder.

14. And the more I do embrace myself and my current stage in life, the fuller and richer my life feels. I am looking beyond the narrow view of how I fit in or not and am simply being me. I understand now too that this is an ongoing process and that I will get to know myself better and better the more open and honest I am with myself.

    1. Matilda, this is so beautifully expressed – there is a grace and a power in claiming ones stage of life no matter how or where one is in terms of the stages, and the unfoldment is part of the unknown and yet part of something so very familiar all at the same time.

15. We really do need to sit with our perceptions of what ageing is for us and what these perceptions are based on. Is it what we have seen or what we have heard or is there something else that we know that we may not commonly see anymore or at all? For it is only when we know that we can have an ageing body but also have a timelessness (rather than youthfulness) that we begin to feel the immense value of what an elder is. The more who are living this then as a society we start to re-write age care. In the west we all have not only ageing populations, but populations of ageing that are unwell and sick and have significant disability. We really not only need a new model of caring for our elderly but a new model of how we age.

16. There is something deeply precious about what is shared here, how in the face of getting older we can embrace life in a whole other way, how important it is that we and others get to see older people engaged in life and with themselves in a way that truly inspires others so that we all get to see we can be fully in life no matter our age, and that each age offers something different and very precious.

17. It seems to me that we buy into the beliefs that as we age, we become insignificant and invisible but that can only happen if we run with that belief ourselves.

    1. Beautifully and simply put. A belief can only have any power over us if we invite it in. And actually, as we grow older it feels like we are freer and freer to say no to popular but dishonouring beliefs.

    2. Beliefs are so limiting in many ways and really need to be kicked out of wherever they have crept into. I just had another limiting belief exposed to me, and so once aware of it, I say no – be gone.

18. I’ve recently noticed a feeling of not being valuable creeping in to do with my age and the cliche beliefs of getting out of the way for the younger ones. It’s been really uncomfortable to feel these beliefs and how they dull and suppress me, they are definitely untrue. I appreciate the conversation the blog has I opened up as we will all age, and why not do so with full commitment to life, cherishing who we are, and feeling our value and not holding back our input? After all it’s just the body ageing, but the being is accumulating the experiences of life and subsequent wisdom.

19. Who came up with the term ‘on the shelf’ and more importantly why! We have much to understand about age including young people in understanding how they live now will affect them in their later years. I haven’t seen it but in the UK there has been a programme about an older people’s home and they have brought early years children in to bring back a spark in them. And it has worked, magic is at play when we make it about people and connection and no person should ever be put ‘on the shelf’.

    1. Its like the term “over the hill”. Both terms really highlight to me how much of life we have made it about function. So for some elderly people they may no longer be able to do what they once did, because of their ageing body. We can be very harsh on ourselves in this respect, we can see that “we have no use” because of this. But this is not true. We are of immense value, not because of what we do, but for who we are. But if we have had a life where we have not stopped to appreciate all that we are, even a little of who we are, then when there are changes in our physicality, this can be a very trying time.

       1. Jennifer I’m currently 65 years old and the last 5 years have been very interesting because at 60 I felt as though I was still 20, and that lasted until I reached 64. Then reaching this age a change came over my body and it told me it was time to slow down and to appreciate myself more by taking care of myself. Then another change happened naturally my body told me there were things in the garden I shouldn’t be doing any more such as lopping branches off trees or lifting heavy pots around, so I have hired the assistance of a gardener to do the heavy work. I now cherish my body and have developed a lovely relationship with myself. I still work full time and look forward to being able to travel again when the borders open up. I lead a very busy and fulfilling life, which I love dearly because at last I have stopped fighting myself and everyone else and settled into a beautiful understanding that life is to be lived in full and not to watch life go by from the side lines. I am definitely not over the hill, or on the shelf, for there isn’t a shelf big enough to contain all of me.

20. I have noticed that as I get older, when people ask me how old I am, each time I have to pause and work it out. There is nothing from within that tells me I am older or younger, I have to draw on external factors to work out this information which to my body feels like an abstract piece of information. In the midst of this it is interesting that I can at times express “ I don’t feel that old” which suggests that although from within I do not register any difference I am still running with unconscious thoughts and beliefs about what a certain age should ‘look like’ or ‘feel’. Such unnecessary imposed limitations and dishonouring of ourselves and each other need to be called out. Thank you for this article.

    1. ha ha I have that and not even when anyone asks me!!!

    2. I feel the same Golnaz, our body goes through the ageing process but in essence we are ageless and genderless.

    3. I have a family member that cannot remember their age, but it comes from not wanting to remember because of their fear growing old. Yet they are so very young and do not look or live the elderly age they are. But it is possible to feel they are running with a consciousness they are not aware of that is keeping them in the fear of being old and the fear of their future rather than embracing all that is on offer for them. This is the hidden consciousness that runs in our society and feeds us the insecurity and fear as we grow old.

21. At 62 I am definitely not on the shelf but consider myself to be a ‘spring chicken’ as it were, I feel as though I have more stamina now than I did in my 30’s. Life seems richer now than at any other time and this feeling is just deepening.

    1. It is so cool when we buck beliefs and/or social trends by our choices and approach to life.

22. We have marked retirement as somehow a point where we withdraw from community rather than a point where we stop paid work. Perhaps we are actually made to keep engaging with life and community but just in a different way.

    1. Totally, keep engaging with life, we have much to contribute, ‘a deepening engagement with life and the people in it means we realise how much we still have to offer and how much we want to continue to do so.’

23. Absolutely there is no need to shrink into the shadows, I am more alive and vibrant than I have ever been. Has this to do with age? I am definitely older and wiser but more important is the choice to commit to life and feel the purpose of my being here, we all have a quality, a uniqueness that only we can bring to the whole.

24. I will be 50 very soon, and I am finding that this embracing of myself as an elder is not something that I can pull off all of a sudden just because I reach a certain age. It feels to be a gradual progression, looking back at how at every step of life I have been living and appreciating the learnings along the way, and looking forward knowing that there’s so much more to learn.

25. This turns aging on its head and reading this is so inspiring – the fact is we can at any and all ages have a purpose. If we connect to this then age does not make us any less.

26. It is only as I have grown older that I have realised the negative perception of being older, the feeling of not having much time left or not having quite us much to offer as someone younger. But I have also realised that we can influence how people perceive us by our own opinion of ourselves.

27. You are so right… There is no ‘ retirement requirement’. We deepen, engage more, and live more of life as we get older… Sounds wonderful!

    1. The current model for people to retire does not sound or look appealing to me. It is amazing to now have incredible role models in our community who are fully living life to the max no matter what age.

28. Never should we accept or buy into the notion that we are useless, not because of age, gender, character, race, intelligence or else; we all are unique in expression and contribute something to the whole that is made by all of us and we should support each other to be very aware and appreciative of that uniqueness.

    1. It’s a really good comment Alexander about our equal unconditional value and preciousness to this world.

    2. Absolutely, whatever our age we all have something valuable to contribute to the world, ‘we all are unique in expression and contribute something to the whole’.

29. Sitting on the shelf may seem to be safe but it is also utmost boring and meaningless, hence not an option we can choose for too long before ‘life’ will give us a gentle push. We are players in and of life no matter if we like it or not. There more we embrace the fact, the more we will enjoy playing our part.

    1. Well said, we are players in life and when we who do not engage, we actually give permission for some of the greatest wrongdoings because we abdicate responsibility to speak up.

30. Getting older only seems like something you want when you’re in your teens, then all of a sudden you go, wait no stop! Society definitely has placed the elderly into a box of being past their prime – but you can be past your prime at 25 if you don’t commit to life. And maybe that’s the secret to staying young.

31. This is beautiful to read for all of us, of all ages, as we have made life as a whole about being on the shelf and to fit in, meanwhile we are denying ourselves to live the beauty that we are and bring all of us into everything we do.

32. There are definitely a lot of beliefs around ageing that are untrue. We don’t have to become anything just simply continue to be ourselves, value that and share it with the world.

33. The dynamic in our society is to dismiss the elderly and in that are two things to discern.
    1. The complete ignorance to the quality the elder bring, as when listened to will stop us from inventing the wheel over and over again. So actually as a society we do not want to be stopped in our waywardness.
    2. The abuse that is common place to treat the elderly with is not only accepted by society but by the elderly too.

    1. It’s a remarkable comment Nico, your point no 1 shows how by cutting ourselves off from true elder energy we are unlikely to advance each generation in an evolutionary sense because we aren’t tapping into the storehouse of wisdom our aged carry, instead we are more likely to stay stuck repeating the same cycles. And yes, elders need to step up to this as they do not have to accept societal beliefs about their value.

    2. As elders we can be a point of great reflection, living and embracing life in full, ‘In our experience of being elders, at work, in our families and amongst our community, there is a grace in accepting growing older and a huge service in taking responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society.’

34. As you can observe in life there is an avoidance of becoming old in many ways. Could this mean that there is a certain quality in the elderly, a quality and a reality we do not want to be faced with because it will expose to us the waywardness we are living?

35. I’m 62 years old and trotting round the world on business with a very heavy work schedule, living out of a suitcase, changing to different hotels every few days with a lot of driving in between a lot of flying and loving every minute of it. In my 60’s it felt as though I was just getting going. I’m not getting older I’m getting younger
    I’m able to do more now than I ever did in my 30’s – 40’s because I have such vitality.

    1. Mary it would be great to read more about this and how you came to be living such vitality and joy as an elder.

36. When we embrace life we have so much to offer whatever our age may be.

37. Every stage in our lives offers us the opportunity to deepen and activate living our power. It is through our connection to our Soul that we evolve and can reflect the truth of all the we are, and this can never be measured by the age of our body, our physical appearance or capabilities. To be aging is a beautiful reminder that regardless of how our bodies are, our Soul is what remains unchanged forever impulsing us to live it lights, at every point of our lives.

    1. Ageing is only for the human body, but not for the Spirit and the Soul which are eternal that live in and with it. If we let ourselves to be ruled by the reality of the human body, that the human life has a begin and an end, do we then live in complete neglect of our Spirit and Soul?

38. Until our last breath we have to embrace life in full, because to do so is to accept responsibility for what we are here to do.

    1. Yes and living with responsibility is living with true power.

    2. A key part of that is valuing who we are, our inner qualities, and what we bring to life.

    3. Count me in for that Elizabeth. Till the last breath for this time around.

39. We have a choice as to whether to be on a shelf or not. Many young people put themselves on the shelf these days but equally other young people I know are so wise they have become elders – none of this has to do with age.

40. Many stages of our lives can be fraught with disappointment, struggle and expectations of ourselves which can bring angst; without self-acceptance and appreciation, life will always be a struggle.

41. The more gracefully we age, the more we inspire others and the greater wisdom we hold to share.

    1. How we live in our senior years can be a point of inspiration to those around us, ‘We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.’

42. We need to be able to embrace life at every age.

43. Beautiful to read this this morning and realise ‘That we should gracefully step aside to make way for the younger generation.’ is a belief that has been triggered and nurtured in me- that I have fallen prey to..Of course we will naturally give way to others as we die and they continue living but we do not have to give in or give up anything. We continue in our power and they in theirs.
    ‘

    1. And we have so much to offer with our lived wisdom and we will share it with grace and love all the way.

44. How many people already spent life on the shelf of giving-upness already from a young age? It is not a matter of age but bringing oneself in full into life every day as much as possible, that´s what keeps us young and vivacious.

45. The temptation of being shelved comes with the current model of living that is based among other things in allocating people into boxes and asking them to embrace where ‘they ought to be’, identify with it and not move. The time to expand and to serve beyond the box has finished.

46. I am finding that the older I get the more I actually embrace life.

47. I feel more sexy, tender and sweet in my 60’s than I ever have felt before in my fife. Observing others around me at this stage of their life there is a focus on retirement, joining the ‘travelling nomads’, starting to live the life they have been waiting for and working towards, there can often also be a ‘givenupness’. There is so much within us to appreciate and confirm as we see life more clearly, exposing it’s imposing and dictatorial energy that we may have allowed to control how much we bring to those around us. Growing older is amazing and powerful.

    1. One of the things about the reward of retirement is the mentality that you can “enjoy life” then. It’s very much based on outer activities dictating how we can feel, instead of making an inner connection to our essence, the soulful part of us, and the joy that can bring to any moment. When we live the fullness of ourselves no rewards are needed – it’s a joy simply to be ourselves.

       1. And that is a great illusion to think that we can enjoy life THEN. If we are not able to enjoy life in our everyday life no retirement nor time off nor holiday will bring us the joy we are missing.

48. ‘False worries about fitting in’ – so true, our fears about fitting in are based on pictures of what it means to ‘fit in’ and be accepted. But what are we trying to fit into? Usually society’s pictures, someone else’s ideas, about what is socially acceptable. And why do we want to do this? It feels like we do it when we don’t accept and appreciate the beauty that we all are, and judge ourselves for being different, instead of accepting and embracing that we’re all, in essence, one and the same, albeit in many different expressions.

49. I actually wonder if we can put ourselves “On the shelf” at any point in our lives, for example, when things get tough, or we make mistakes we can give up on ourselves, or if we haven’t fostered a sense of self worth, or if we don’t feel we are beautiful or worth it – but perhaps in these moments we need to embrace life more, commit more, give life more, rather than taking the easily option of the shelf.

50. ‘No need to shrink into the shadows’ no need to put ourselves on the shelf either, I appreciate getting older and wiser and feel more beautiful, sexy, sparkling and joyful than ever and there is more to come, more to embrace of me and more to share with the world.

51. This is very lovely to read and confirm. ‘It is now our experience that our ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others.’ The wisdom of the elders is ageless.

52. The elderly have an immense wisdom to share with us “the younger generations”. I love talking to the elderly, who have lived life and are not so tense, worried and worked up with the 21st Century modern hassles and dilemmas.

53. “So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders?” – yes, and this makes me reflect on the recent comment made in the press about the UK economy being in a slump and termed “menopausal” as a result – the comment alone shows how much we can unconsciously side-line those in their later years, our elders as being ineffectual or on the scrapheap, whereas in fact this time of life in its naturalness is but a (another) cycle where there is a growth and activity though just in a different quality to what was before. When we start to appreciate, we always see more than what is there.

54. ‘We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.’ Such a gorgeous sharing, we need true role models like you ladies to reflect to others that there is so much to appreciate and understand about life and ourselves when we embrace the ageing cycle.

55. Of course there are the cycles of the human body to adhere to but that is only the vehicle we live in and with. The love spark that lives within is forever young while it is age old and that is what is what is being expressed whatever age we are if we can let it unfiltered come through. There are of course the false images of getting older that are around and wants us to belief that we are different when young then when we are older. In fact it is only the body, the outer we live in that ages but it is not our essence which is forever young.

56. Just because you may retire from your job at a certain age should not mean you retire from life nor from giving back to and interacting with your community in a way that sets a loving and respectful example for others to follow.

57. I actually felt yesterday that I am feeling more in tune with my body, more beautiful and more in love with myself then I have since I was a young girl –
    Self love and self acceptance is all of our natural birthright – take this away and we are subjected to people’s judgments – it’s taking on these judgements that makes us look and feel older then we are.

    1. Yes Sam, it is the forever young inner most that shines though our eyes whatever age we are.

    2. Thank you Sam, it’s a beautiful and very inspiring comment, it makes sense to what you have shared about judgement bouncing off us when our self love and self acceptance are solid.

58. As a woman in my 30s I am deeply inspired by the older women in my life. Their lack of self judgement or need to be perfect, their understanding and holding of others, their zest for life and their purpose are deeply inspiring.

59. There can be a bit of defiance and defeat underneath our drive when we say we have nothing to loose … but if we approach life appreciating who we are no matter our age we present something very different that we’re amazing just as we are at any age, and we are just us not trying to prove anything. And the world badly needs more people, especially elders to do this.

60. “There is an acceptance that introduces humility, a life-enriching quality that allows us to view the world and our place and purpose in it with a sense of the bigger picture and the joy of our equality.”
    The quality of humility is opening me to being much more willing to learn from life and much less wanting to fight what it brings.

61. Pingback: Going with or Resisting our Natural Cycles – Women in Livingness Blog

62. Thank you Judy and Matilda, it shows us that we have a greater responsibility and we need to be a reflection of who we truly are.

63. Speaking up can be scary as we can be worried about how another will take it or if we will be judged etc. But it is super important to share what we hold and have inside us and not hide it away.

64. Allowing our body to feel that we can “simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage” of space that will allow us to be aware of what our next in-carnation will bring does take all the stresses out of this life and so we become aware of the truer way of living with a divine purpose for life.

65. Taking stock, and see what is true, that’s something that is very missing from our world and perhaps our constant chasing of youth is part of this; maybe in our race to be ahead, to catch that next thing we miss out on what is truly important, and this I feel is what our elders offer us, context, the bigger picture and an understanding that there is so much more than we know … our world needs more of our elders to remind us of all parts of the cycle we live in.

66. I remember as a teenager thinking that anyone over thirty was over the hill and that I knew better because I had my finger on the pulse of life, but it wasn’t long before I went through a long period of knowing that I didn’t and now I can often feel when a young person is thinking that I am over the hill, now theres a bit of karma for you. Now that I have reached fifty an age I used to think was way over the hill and up the other side, I still feel as young as I used to and in some ways it feels like life has just begun.

    1. Yes, quite interesting that in our younger years, we may consider a certain old age to be really old… but when we actually reach that age, we still feel young and the same as we did back in the younger years… Shows just how much our inner quality and expression is ageless, and never ages at the same speed as our human years.

67. “That we should gracefully step aside to make way for the younger generation.” This is a big one isn’t it? And one that actually makes me very sad because it means our elders are hidden away and we do not have as many opportunities to learn from their lived experiences and the elder wisdom that they share, and we are less of a society when they are hidden.

68. The physical body ages yet the innermost spark, that essence, quality and feeling of love, is more ancient than time, it is Ageless.

69. As I reflect on ageing and where I am in life now – this blog has supported me to realise that when I was younger and physically I could achieve so much, move so quickly, lift and shift things which meant not asking for help etc, I am realising the true gift of ageing is that it is removing so many of these obstacles and is bringing me back to who I am from the ‘inside’ first. Thank you Matilda and Judy for exposing how we get distracted and how ageing clears many illusions that gets in the way of living truthfully.

70. Could it be possible that having any focus at all on aging will never serve our body because what that involves within the larger aspect of us being immortal becomes a distraction? So as a Soul-full being we still have to lovingly nurture our bodies and this will provide the body with the ability to be able deliver wisdom no matter how old.

    1. If we were also aware of reincarnation we would not hold so ardently to youth because the natural cycle of evolution means we will have birth, youth, maturity, elder years and death many times. We have the opportunity to value each part of the cycle of life and bring our all to it – life after life.

       1. And actually look forward to death.

71. Whilst gripping youth so ardently we dismiss the richness and fullness of life in all our ages and reject the natural cycles that offer different qualities and values as we go.

    1. Yes, quite true Matilda, there comes a point in life when we actually embrace rather than dismiss, only to discover the richness, the awareness, the insight, the self-acceptance and embodiment of love that continues to resonate more and more deeply as we ‘age’ – needless to say, we discover further, this quality is in fact ‘Ageless’.

72. We all have so much to appreciate as we grow older and not only the fact that we are discovering we have choices in life and a true connection to God. Also we can feel the true relationship we can have with others, when we understand our equality and there is always equalness within-our-inner-most or essence!

73. I love the awareness this blog is building and the deepening quality ‘ageing’ offers. Could it be that Life is the recipe that brings to us the wisdom in our elder years and thus the responsibility we have to share this with others?

74. No matter what age, once we open our arms and embrace life in full heaven pours into and through us an unlimited stream of expression to be shared with the world for everyone´s true benefit, i.e. the evolution of mankind.

    1. Wow, such a beautiful reminder Alex.

75. We prefer to live in the shade with our favourite game of saying to ourselves “I could have been a contender” “if only life wasn’t so unfair I would have gone far”. But this simply isn’t correct. It’s us who makes ourselves less and on the shelf you mention. But it’s never too late to wake up and start to live knowing we are stars in our own right.

76. I have met elders that are being active and have purpose to their lives right to the last minute and then the opposite to that where there are elders who have given up and surviving life and I certainly know which one I will be choosing. We have so much to offer all of the time even to our last breath.

77. Death is a lie and if we subscribe to it, we will live our life with the brakes on fearing the finality of this seeming ‘end point’, rather than embracing all that is on offer as we move through life and its various cycles until the time comes that we are ready to discard the physical vehicle that is our body and pass over, ready to come back and do it all again. The next round can, depending on our choices in the former life, either be an upgrade or downgrade in this vehicle (the human body). That is, what has been lived stays with us and informs the makings of our physicality in the next life. So – do we live fully embracing and honouring the immense love and divinity we are, knowing that all others are also comprised of this, or do we squirrel such love away and instead make life about security, protection and ownership?

    1. Oh, I love what you are saying here Doug, it shows how much we deny ourselves by only believing in and focusing on life and everything that is physically tangible.

    2. In keeping with this very apt analogy Doug, imagine the caterpillars surprise when it emerges from the chrysalis very far from ‘dead’. Now imagine us when we leave our bodies upon the moment of passing over and realise that all is not a big black nothingness 😉

78. The idealization of youth is a setup to keep us from embracing life as a learning, growing and deepening experience. It diverts true responsibility into the desperate drive to stay youthful despite this being a futile pursuit as aging is inevitable.

79. On the shelf it is safe and comfortable under the dust that settles over time and it is not just something we may tend or be asked to do when getting older but can do from young. We need to step into life to live life, in every moment. It is choice in every moment.

    1. Hence why we need to move, true movement that is, to not gather dust 😉

80. I absolutely love being with the Elder generation and hearing all there stories and sharing from their loved experiences. A wisdom that is so rich in its offering and shows the value that they have to offer to all of us as we grow and live the cycle of life together.

81. Commitment to life in every day becomes a rhythm whatever age we are, there is never a time to sit back and reminisce. It is a movement forwards to the next point.. and the next.. and the next.

82. You have definitely busted a few myths here and embraced the ongoing learning that we can enjoy to the end in doing so.

83. So true, Doug. ‘There is no shelf, there is only committing to life or not committing to life.’ That is what is making the difference we sense and see when we are with people. It so makes sense that lack of commitment to oneself and the quality of care we bring to our bodies and relationships is what ends up making people feel older and the body to age.

84. And doesn’t appreciating yourself feel great!

85. It’s all this focussing on oneself and trying to not age that takes one’s attention and energy away from the main game – the deepening ‘our awareness and understanding of our essence, our qualities and the exquisite contribution that is ours to make’. No wonder everyone seems to be becoming increasingly more and more tired – eventually feeling exhausted, clapped out and a ‘has been’ from living that way as the years roll by. In truth, if we choose to live this way we are squandering all our reserves of energy by running away from ourselves and the true purpose of why we are alive.

86. “On the Shelf or Embracing Life?” – the only reason why I am today in my 40s embracing life and not thinking about “the shelf” – is because of learning to love myself, deeply, truly.

    1. Deeply truly madly sanely beautifully cheekily and adorably.

87. “Talking to others and as we feel now there is no ‘getting it,’ – the gorgeous thing being that we actually start to feel younger, realising how much we still have to learn and losing the pressure of needing to look like we have all the answers.” This is beautiful to read and hear that there is no getting it but always a learning no matter what age we are. How very beautiful is that.

88. How wonderful it would be if instead of spending so much time effort and focus on ‘not aging’ we deepened our awareness and understanding of our essence, our qualities and the exquisite contribution that is ours to make.

    1. Yes, what a difference that would make and it is simple to start, just one step at a time, observing ourselves where we criticise ourselves and our looks and stop it and allow ourselves to see and feel our true qualities instead of following the many pictures how we think we need to look.

89. The fact that our focus seems to be so set on an external outcome in life… that we will ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’ shows just how far away from our inner truth and wisdom we have gone.

90. “If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others” – This is profound, and a really gorgeous quote. Autumn is a huge cleanse for nature, and really brings the science of cycles and seasons to everyone’s attention. In the same way, getting older is a natural unfolding that is enriched with amazing cycles and opportunities to let go of things and then re-build foundations with a higher quality.

    1. Beautifully said, Susie. ‘getting older is a natural unfolding that is enriched with amazing cycles and opportunities to let go of things and then re-build foundations with a higher quality.’

91. Are we always not pidgin-holing-our-self? Thus placing our-self on a “shelf” to look at life passes us by? Then “are we resisting the natural cycles of life and the richness they hold, disregarding and undervaluing all that is on offer,” so we are living lesser than and thus missing the “beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others.” Yes we all are “gripping youth so ardently” and are thus missing out on the bigger picture. Not that life is seen through a lens or a fence because that can also become a trap of its own. So no matter what our age when we connect to what has been our lived wisdom then that can be shared and when this is honoured growing old takes on a different value!
    ‘The Livingness’ makes us feel age-less and connects us deeply to all we have ever lived so we are naturally feeling the depth of everything that we have ever brought no matter what that life was. Thus always embracing life for the lived quality as we deliver more, more and more ‘deeper love’ from our ‘lived Love’ so nothing is lost and everything is about a ‘quality of Livingness’ their equally for everyone makes us age-less. And thus I love what you have shared Judy and Matilda, as much is given when we “appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect”

92. Embracing life in all its stages and ages is a wonderful gift and way to live we can give to ourselves saying yes to life and appreciating everything lovingly.

93. Gorgeous ” walking tall and being visible”, in this we shine our light and true reflection.

94. ‘No need to shrink into the shadows’ at any age – the more we see and appreciate quite how much we have to offer and bring the more we will shine so there are no shadows to shrink into!

95. It feels so good to say yes to life and embrace it. When I do this my energy levels shoot up. If we keep on embracing life as we get older we will not feel as old!

    1. So true Rebecca, it has been a joy to watch elders around me, my parents included, embracing life more and actually enjoying life rather than just trying to get through the day. It makes me not worry about how I will be as I know that will be taken care of by the way I am living now.

       1. “It makes me not worry about how I will be as I know that will be taken care of by the way I am living now.” Beautifully said James and that is the key, it is our living way in every moment that will determine the love and care we we will receive and have for ourselves in the next moment or many years later.

       2. Thank you Esther, the pressure and tension that leaves my body knowing that I do need to worry about the future is huge as all my life I been taught it is about security but true security can only be found within as no one can ever take that away from you.

       3. Great James, what you and Rebecca have shared feels so true. Feeling those around us young, old and in-between, as they are a true reflection of what they have lived, which is truly inspiring.

       4. And Greg you too are deeply inspiring how you have recommitted to life and rather than getting older appear to be getting younger everytime I see you. There is so much to be inspired by when one chooses the light of their Soul.

       5. Thank you James, and reconnecting to life starts with us understanding to be at-least gentle as in is shared in the Gentle Breath Meditation. For more on being gentle go to;
          http://www.unimedliving.com/search?keyword=Free+Gentle+Breath+Meditation

       6. The Gentle Breath Meditation is an awesome tool we can use to come back to ourselves. It reminds and shows us that no matter what we are all inherantly the same divine beings.

    2. So true Rebecca, and living in a deepening relationship with our-self-and-others brings a lived joy, which is “embracing life” with a deepening commitment thus avoiding the shut down that brings on a demented state.

       1. Great James, and could it be said that we are 24/7 breath-arians who have learned how to move our bodies in such a way that will continue to support our evolution,so along with eating our breath has a huge impact on our day? So is it possible to breathe to be light then bathe our food in the same light?

    3. Absolutely Rebecca… now in my fifties, the more I embrace life, the more joy-full life becomes and I feel younger and younger every day 🙂

96. Life is set up so no matter what age we are there is always something different, be put out to pasture, your too young, someone is more than, a pinnacle, they are better than, how would you know and confronting as all this seems we are all-ways all-we-need-to-be. So when we are connected to our divine essence we are amazing and the wisdom that is there with simply being able to ask for the love we are to come through our body.

    1. Great observation, Greg. Life is currently set up to have people feeling they aren’t the right person with the right capabilities and the perfect Jill or Johhny-on the Spot, no matter what their age or circumstances. It’s wondrous to discover that in fact this is a BIG FAT LIE and we have everything we ever need at our disposal no matter what circumstances or situation we find ourselves in ‘when we are connected to our divine essence we are amazing and the wisdom that is there with simply being able to ask for the love we are to come through our body.’ Life has taught me that living life from the angle and approach of Love is definitely the way to go.

       1. So True Judith, and to start out we have to take the baby steps by re-learning how to be at-least gentle first, so from that place we find it simpler to see the lies and discover that we are infact on the right path.

97. We got so much to share till our last breath. What it shows is that we are never purposeless and with our presence within this body great service is possible if we choose. And that actually there is no single reason to give up your existence as you become/are older in age (within this single body).

98. The trouble for many is that we have forgotten the true reason we are here on earth, and that is to evolve back to who we truly are, and therefore we have gotten caught in many untruths about life, like a fishing line snagged on a rock. This can land one on a shelf, instead of connecting with the flow and rising to the light of eternal day to become ‘a fisher of men’.

99. Labels can be placed on us all, but do accept them? Some times it may feel suffocating but do we need to submit to the emotions of injustice or rise above it, heal what hurts and move with dignity and love?

    1. A super question for us all to ponder on – ‘Do we need to submit to the emotions of injustice or rise above it, heal what hurts and move with dignity and love?’ I have found the wisdom I have developed during my lifetime supports me with seeing the need for this and has enriched my connection to an inner ability to do so – as best I am capable of in that particular moment.

       1. Great observation, we liberate ourselves when we realise that we have a choice one way or another. No perfection needed, but a commitment to not keep entertaining what harms us and others.

100. Not wanting to look at getting older and trying our best to ignore it seems pretty pointless and only leads to a deep dissatisfaction with ourselves and lack of acceptance. It’s like fighting the inevitable.

101. There is so much to learn at all stages of life and our ‘over-embrace’ of youth has allowed us to sideline our elders to the huge detriment of us all. There is something deeply supportive in having people in our lives, in our worlds who reflect to us what is important, and that life is about surrender, letting go, yet staying engaged without attachment and this quality is precious and badly needed in our world. It’s beautiful to feel and hear from us all.

     1. An ‘over-embrace’ of youth – a great observation and description of what is currently happening in our world resulting in widespread sidelining of our elders – to the huge detriment of everyone, no matter what their age.

102. There is so much elders can bring to communities and societies, but it begins with a claiming of our self-worth and knowing deep within that we matter. With greater appreciation and a willingness to express, we then cannot help but bring a greater lived wisdom that is easy to share.

103. While shopping the other day I ran into someone who I had known in the 1950s and 1960s – when we were schoolgirls. I did not at first recognise her but she recognised me. This lovely person looked like a very bowed and hunched elderly lady – still the same beautiful essence but her body was like a map of what she had encountered in life and how she had dealt with it. Her look of astonishment at seeing me and saying ‘You literally haven’t changed’ made me realise even more how the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom as presented by Serge Benhayon has transformed our lives, and specifically here the way in which we approach our elder years – not as a slowing down, a hiding away – but as a coming to fruition in this particular incarnation –’Ripeness is all’ as Shakespeare said!

     1. Beautifully said, Lyndy – the way in which we approach our elder years – “not as a slowing down, a hiding away – but as a coming to fruition in this particular incarnation –’Ripeness is all’ as Shakespeare said!”

104. To see elders in our community embracing life, participating and giving back is inspiring and sets the bar for when the younger generation become the elders of their community.

     1. To see elders in our community embracing life also sets the bar for younger elders as well. I love the inspiration on offer from people who are way older than me and who are choosing to embrace living each day in full rather than withering away into the ‘nothing more than existing’ that is often painted (and accepted) as a picture of what ‘old age’ ends up being like. It’s great to see so many elders breaking the mould and showing there is another truer way of ageing on offer that holds way more joy than the miserable existence we see so often spoofed or portrayed in movies etc.

105. Where did we get the idea that ‘shrinking to the shadows’ was anything to do with ageing or growing older? With such a wealth of experience and wisdom we should absolutely be flourishing in these years rather than contracting away.

     1. Yes, an absolutely great and sensible point Susie, how could we even think that we are not worth contributing to society anymore. We do need our elders to share and be fully in life so we can all learn and understand.

106. Yes indeed, ladies. The way society grips hold of youth is indicative of how disconnected we have become from the beauty of our essence and the beholding grace of love, both of which only deepen with age if we are being true to ourselves.

107. What I am finding is that the older I get the more I am embracing life and myself. It is a very graceful and beautiful time.

108. There are plenty of reasons ‘why’ and some of them are quite good. But none of them stand up to scrutiny.

109. Over time I am experiencing that what matters is love and vitality. A body that expresses love and vitality may or may not have issues and they need to be respected but such a body is very supportive, even with fairly advanced ill-health, let alone the normal ageing process.

     1. And deep wisdom is always available as is shared by the youth of The Students of The Livingness.

110. When we embrace life there is a sense of openness and expansion. When we accept what we perceive as our limits and allow that to dictate our lives there is a sense of tightness and contraction. This can be felt in a very real way in our body. Our attitude determines how our body then is.

111. No matter what our age is, we all bring a reflection to others and to life and so it is our responsibility to continue to emanate the light we hold and expand this. The labels in society regarding ageing are misleading, imposing and can become barriers if we allow them to. This is such an important discussion to be having and it feels amazing to be one of the many that are reflecting a different way as we go forward.

112. ‘On the shelf’ is where we put ourselves… society doesn’t do it to us… its our choice to follow the ideals and beliefs we’ve taken on, which are easy to drop when we truly appreciate ourselves – all that we are and all that we bring.

113. What determines whether we decide to put ourselves on the shelf and withdraw, or go for it and embrace life, maximising every opportunity there is, is our relationship with ourselves and how much we value and appreciate what we bring. As we build a foundation of consistent appreciation of our qualities, we build our self worth and understanding of what we reflect to others, and also appreciate that we’re in this together. We learn through reflections from one another, and so what we reflect is equally important as those that we receive.

     1. The recipe for living and enjoying life in its fullness which shows everything and everyone counts – ‘As we build a foundation of consistent appreciation of our qualities, we build our self worth and understanding of what we reflect to others, and also appreciate that we’re in this together. We learn through reflections from one another, and so what we reflect is equally important as those that we receive.’

        1. ‘We learn through reflections from one another, and so what we reflect is equally important as those that we receive’ The more I embrace this and see each and every interaction as an opportunity to learn the less I react to other people and what is going on rather go ok so what am I being shown here? What is it bringing up for me? I get to see soo much more and also appreciate what the other person is reflecting to me.

     2. I agree Bryony, have found that learning ‘what we reflect is equally important as those that we receive’ brings a whole new level of responsibility to the way we are as you never know who may be watching and the effect even the seemingly smallest of actions done with love can have. The ripple effect whilst not always seen is definitely felt and it either confirms us in love or in separation.

114. When I was younger I used to wonder what it would feel like to be older and not have any purpose or interests in life. Now I am older, I still wonder the same question, I don’t think I will ever be in the position to answer it.

115. Rather than been put on the top shelf what if we became even more committed to life and bringing all of us to community?

116. Accepting ourselves and what we offer is a foundational step in embracing life. Embrace ourselves and then that embracement oozes out.

117. Realising that we are all always learning brings a freshness to every day that means age is irrelevant. I look forward to developing this understanding, willingness to learn and awe and wonder as I get older.

118. Judy, I am feeling this as a woman in my 40’s; ‘as we get to a certain age, we have the amazing opportunity to serve and express ourselves more freely, released from the false worries about fitting in and what people will think about us?’ I no longer worry about what people think about me and love that I go to bed early, don’t drink alcohol and eat sugar. I have no problem with not following the crowd, this has only been in the last five or so years though as previous this I really wanted to be liked and to fit in. It feels very gorgeous to love myself enough that I am not concerned what other people think of me and that instead I simply enjoy living in a way that feels more honouring and more true for me.

     1. What your describing is what we had when we were really young! The world and our environment caused us to make choices that made changes to our evolutionary path. It is never to late to return to who we started this life!!

119. There is a current generation that has started on the shelf! Their world is a screen and can view the world without moving off their shelf.

120. The ‘on the shelf’ situation is always something to be observed and felt. If I even see dolls, teddy bears, trains etc. abandoned or flung on a shelf, I sit them up and order them which is really a symbol of restoring life. Or if there are clothes left lying there I feel whether they need to go or to be washed and restored to the wardrobe. Just a moment of alignment.

121. Age is not a measure of value but one of insight.

122. Our body may age but the love inside is Ageless, it never grows old!

     1. That certainly is my experience, Johanne. It’s the connecting to the love inside that supports us to feel younger, even though the body usually starts showing more signs of ‘wear and tear’ as we age.

123. Definitely no need to shrink in the shadows but instead time for us to appreciate our elders and how we ourselves age. We need to have so many more discussions about this debasing ill concepts, ideals and beliefs.

124. Working in aged care has really opened my eyes to how eventually the body does wear out and to appreciate and care for it now in my younger years.

     1. That’s such a vital lesson to learn in life and one that will support you greatly if you heed its message while you are in your younger years, Leigh.

125. ‘With our attention and attachment to youthfulness, are we resisting the natural cycles of life and the richness they hold, disregarding and undervaluing all that is on offer from our elders and their lived experience?’ And we put an enormous pressure on young people by all of what is expected of them and what we currently see is not what I would call a vital and vibrant generation, the reflection of our elders ageing gracefully is very needed, offering a different perspective on what life and living truly is about.

126. As I consider my age now and how much more engaged in life I am than I was even 10 years ago, I become more and more appreciative of the choices I have made to enable me to be where I am today. And whats so lovely about it is that it all comes with a deeper understanding, grace and true wisdom.

127. By dismissing what our elders say we totally miss out on the richness of their lifetime of observation in which they have seen much change.

     1. Yes it is like turning our noses up at opportunities to learn, which is so arrogant and dismissive.

128. To appreciate ourselves is to offer all our joy, wisdom, love and inspiration for all others.

129. When we consider ourselves on the shelf we have given up on life and using our age as an excuse to do so. This is a loss for everyone.

     1. How true – and it seems like we inherit or pass on the belief system and hence the excuse, that this is an accepted reason to give up.

130. It is interesting how most of us walk around in life assuming that one day we will ‘get it’ or ‘get there’ – the absolute illusion that keeps us imprisoned in the picture of how it should be, or what we expect it to be.

     1. That is so true, Eva; walking around in absolute illusion with pictures in our heads of how things should be or what we expect life to turn out like sure has the potential to put us in a prison of our own making. Life seems to love throwing curve balls at people at the most unexpected of times.

131. I love this article as it is very dear to me that nobody puts themselves on the shelf or out to pasture – the emptiness of this is not in our true nature and yet the whole society is programmed with this ideal which, in the end, does not enrich anyone.

132. When you start to realise that even by just walking down the street, or interacting with people when buying groceries, you make a significant impact on everyone who sees you and you interact with, you get that no one can ever be on the shelf. It is impossible.

     1. Yes people have the potential to positively affect those around them in these situations.
        Unfortunately, there are people who choose to ‘pack up shop’ and ‘withdraw from life’, which certainly diminishes, even negates any chance of their having a positive impact on anyone they interact with or pass on the street.

        1. The funny thing is that even in those situations, when people have chosen to ‘pack up shop’ and ‘withdraw from life’, their choice to do this and to reflect such an expression confirms the normality of such a way of living for everyone else. We don’t live in a bubble, so we have an impact on one another regardless. A nudge from a friend or conversations like this are great support in those moments to recommit to life.

        2. That is so true, Golnaz. ‘We don’t live in a bubble, so we have an impact on one another regardless.’

133. As we age, the way we move is based on how we have lived. Some parts may be a bit worn and may take a bit longer to get from A to B, but it is not always about the destination but the journey.

     1. Yes – an absolute honour of the journey.

     2. Life is a journey, and we can choose how we wish to take this journey, just as we can change direction at any time.

134. It is a huge loss to society and humanity when we side line any age group.

     1. It is a huge loss to society if we side-line anyone

135. Elder lived experience can never be replaced by the written word. There is a livingness to the spoken word that is felt as well as heard. Even more so when what expressed is about past failures.

136. How we react to getting old seems to make a difference to how settled in our bodies we are. If we are fighting it and cannot accept the ageing process, this will cause conflict within ourselves – especially if you do not like what you see in the mirror.

     1. Very good point Julie, conflict within does not support one to be our full true selves. Accepting all stages of life has to be the only way to live in accord with life.

     2. Yes Julie, the kind of tension that being anti-aging creates is bound to age you faster!

137. There is so much to still be learned and experienced as I age, I am glad I am still alive to unfold and evolve.

138. As elders we have the responsibility to show how wonderful the elder years are and what enormous value and vitality we have. At nearly 58 I find myself with more sustaining energy than ever before – but that was rarely shown to me until l met people who lived in a way that never stops evolving – and that was The Way of the Livingness presented by Serge Benhayon. And now we have the most amazing role models to be inspired by.

139. The essence within defies age!

     1. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Essence is the energy that resides in every one of us.

140. Rather than fearing getting old and seeing it as something that will never happen to me, I actually love the process of learning and then mentoring and supporting others, and taking more responsibility in that way. It feels expansive and energising to be in the world in this way, supporting one another with all that we’re learning along the way, knowing that there is no perfection, nowhere to get to, and nothing to ‘be’ except to learn to live the depth of who we already are.

141. What your blog shows us is that it is our body that ages, not the feeling of us on the inside – this quality and sparkle is Ageless!

142. The older you get the wiser you get in ‘what not to do’.

     1. What a Golden statement Kathleen!! Love it!

     2. I feel like Methuselah for my list of ‘what not to do’ I have experienced this lifetime.:)

143. What strikes me when reading this is how much we put different values onto not only the different stages of life but basically on everything, we always measure ourselves towards something, thinking that our value differs depending on the situation we are in. But are we just a commodity that can be traded and thus its value is fluctuant or can we in every moment decide the quality that we bring and thus bring our full value all of the time and not let it be less or more depending on the situation.

144. “If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others” – just love the usage of Autumn to describe this period of elder life; Autumn is a season I’ve always loved since a child too for the glorious change and introspection this season [and life stage] does bring.

     1. I so agree Zofia. Autumn is the last glorious time of us wearing our beauteous ball-gown of womanhood before the winter of our passing over, leading us to the next glorious incarnation of Love. I called my chapter in ‘The Joy of Ageing’ book, ‘Glorious Autumn’, which was inspired by a trip I had going down the autobahn from Vienna to Munich one autumnal November – witnessing the breathtaking orange, reds and golds of the alps as I rode through them. I had tears streaming down my eyes at the beauty of it.

145. The responsibility of understanding the impact of our choices, the elder population know this very well, but society does all it can to keep them silent and nonparticipatory, there is to for a change, it is time to be heard.

146. By claiming ourselves by simply not accepting anything less than what we deserve, we become truly empowered, whether we are 9 or 90.

     1. That is so true, Sandra. The person’s age is of no consequence.

147. I am over 60 and currently work in a health food shop. The area is a known place to retire and I have the privilege of speaking to many spritely older women who still have a sparkle in their eyes and who are getting around in their eighties and nineties. They completely inspire me and at times blow me away. I spoke to a woman who after 50 years of running her own business was closing her boutique at the age of ninety because she felt her son needed her as he was in a nursing home. He was around my age. She was as lively as ever with a great sense of humour and a work ethic that would put most to shame. Even as the body may not do all we could do when we were younger we can still be there in full as the spark that is within us all, our essence and this is who we need to identify as rather than the aging or even ailing body.

148. Our world glorifies youth and the flip side of this is that our elders are not valued. That’s just crazy. Look at any elder who lives in their grace and fullness and you’ll be wowed.

     1. Yes properly wowed and inspired not to see growing older as a fading but as more learning, opportunities and embracing of life.

        1. Like a forever flower unfolding and blossoming more and more.

     2. Yes I agree we do not value our elders we tend to dismiss them, like they have passed their time, but there is so much more.

149. Fully Embracing life at any age is deeply beautiful and an amazing reflection for us all to live and the decades of time is all part of this allowing our fullness and expression to grow. A real testament to live fully to the end and not give up on our selves life and who we are ever and to begin this way also building on the love and appreciation we are and our responsibility with this.

150. I feel a lot of strength and inspiration in my body reading this. The way I care for myself and treat myself will allow a reflection to be shared as I age.

     1. This is what I have been appreciating too about myself.

151. In many communities in the past, the elders have remained engaged in life, and brought their wisdom to the next generation. But in western society, the trend has been to earn money, so we can switch off and retire, lose our purpose, and which tends to end up in dementia. As with anything, we have choices to make: we can choose to sit back or we can stay engaged in life and serve to our last breath.. that is my intention

152. If we are not prepared to embrace getting older we are living in a bubble as this is inevitable. When you think about it most of us are older a lot longer than we are young and furthermore as we are here to learn we had better make the most of every moment.

153. The only, on the shelf for me, is my temporary confinement in a box of my cremated remains!

154. In life we have a few ideals (!) especially about ‘not getting too big for your boots’. When things start to expand and flow it’s like we put the handbreak on to make sure nothing else great will come. So today I’m wondering what our world would be like if we embraced going deeper everyday without apology. Then perhaps we would see fewer put themselves ‘on the shelf’ at any stage and continue to develop a loving way as they lead life. Thank you Judy and Matilda for this thought provoking blog.

     1. How well said Joseph – people can shelve themselves at any time of life because of the ideals and beliefs the general community consciousness holds about getting too big for your boots – a curse passed on from generation to generation, so suppress and put a lid on anyone spreading their wings and taking flight. This consciousness likes to keep us all in a tight, defined box, and in regard to the imagery about ‘boots’, it is wanting to stop us having the joyful confidence of stepping forward in our lives. In other words it is a form of control to stop us evolving into the magnificent beings that we innately are.

155. Taking oneself ‘off the shelf’ is redefining what the ageing process, turning on it’s head, the consciousness and attitudes by society of what getting older ‘looks like’.

156. Beautiful exploration of how we always have a choice in whatever we’re faced with, and how we can see ‘I’ve got nothing to lose’ as joyful freedom to express our true selves, or a resignation and giving up on ourselves and life. And never too late to choose differently.

     1. We always have a choice in everyone moment to choose differently, if we just understood the simplicity of this.

157. I love being older and feeling younger… as in more vital and inspired by life and all the learning on offer. Everyday offers us the opportunity to meet someone new, to realise something more clearly, to notice the magic in the details of life and, as my eyesight gets worse 🙂 I love the fact that I am seeing so much more.

     1. Is it possible Matilda, that when we get older and do our eye exercises our eyes can then see, so the way of healing becomes a daily rhythm that supports our sight. “Feeling younger” is definitely an inspiration as I now also feel more vital at 65 than I was in my 30s.

     2. Very beautiful Matilda, ‘…being older and feeling younger..’ is how I feel too. Interesting what you shared about your eyesight. My feeling is, we can feel so much more when we are blind folded and perhaps less likely to be judgemental towards others too.

     3. Could it be that when we begin to feel again, we find what we had filtered with our eyes and thought what we were seeing?

158. ‘…there is no retirement requirement; that a deepening engagement with life and the people in it means we realise how much we still have to offer and how much we want to continue to do so’ There is no ‘decline’ in life – only if we make it so.

159. Age does not come with dropping our awareness, lust for life, holding silent wisdom, or giving up on life or ourselves.. It is actually there for us to deepen the absolute wisdom we carry and share this with others forever. Hence all the false ideals, limits and beliefs are just distracting us away from our truth — that is to increase even more our joy in life, becoming more aware of where we need to grow from and deepen, share the wisdom and commit to all areas that we feel needs our attention. Now, who said getting older is boring?

160. There’s an interesting tussle here that comes up when we look at the expectations of growing old, one where we cannot win if either are held as meaningful …the expectation on ourselves that “That we will at some point ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’” and the one from others that we no longer hold value and should “step aside to make way for the younger generation”. Dropping all expectations and embrace the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect as elders leaves no room for tussle only space for others to learn and grow.

161. If we remain engaged and involved in our community, and with our family and friends, then there is no ‘getting old’ … only a grace and joy in ageing.

     1. Love that there is only a grace and joy in ageing.

162. When we focus on youth we miss the wisdom and experience of our elder years… there is such grace in having lived many cycles around the sun!

     1. Living ‘many cycles around the sun’ offers us the grace of acceptance, humility and responsibility that makes valuable members of humanity… simple balance and lived experience.

163. I feel there is a difference between ageing and getting old. With ageing there is a simple acceptance that our body ages, which it does, from the moment we are born. Its a process. With the phrase getting old, much can be attached to this. Many ideals and beliefs, many attitudes and assumptions. I know many people who are in there elder years and are a joy to know and very inspiring because of how they are approaching ageing. They are very respectful of where there bodies are at but are so committed to life in various ways. There is not a hint of giving up or ‘retiring’.

     1. And may I add that as ageing is a factor that will eventually leads us to passing-over and this is another cycle of life to look forward to without a “hint of giving up or ‘retiring’.”

164. Rather than seeing our elders as demented, losing it, things going south, losing our marbles, only a ‘shadow’ of your former-self, past the post, being “‘putting out to pasture,’” or “on the shelf” “‘over the hill’ as the saying goes,” –all of these saying in some way demean our elders. Could it be possible that these sayings play a major role in our elders checking out, losing it or failing to make the grade and thus add to dementia, as they have not committed fully to life? “And that there is no retirement requirement; that a deepening engagement with life and the people in it means we realise how much we still have to offer and how much we want to continue to do so.” So fast-forward to a group of elders who are now fully-committed-to-life, and appreciate what they are now living as students of The Livingness, which brings a consistent way of living and sharing true responsibility that elder wisdom can bring.

     1. How fantastic to have a group of elders fully committed to life, and the learning life brings, with the responsibility of bringing elder wisdom. This reflects a different way from the what seems generally a deeply ingrained belief that the ageing process is a steady decline with failing faculty’s and being put out to pasture.

        1. These blogs and comments are certainly changing this ingrained perception Ruth.

        2. It is certainly setting the trend. And going against current societal trends.

        3. Living the future now is so simple when we remain in our inner-most connection, then “a different way” is reflected, and our divine ways “can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others.”

     2. Well said Greg, it’s about time that the elderly changed the perception of what it means to age and stopped living to the pictures of others.

        1. As The Students of The Livingness become the role-models of the future, which they are already sharing in so many areas of life, then when this is felt and reflected across the board spectrum of society, and because of the fact that the Students who come from every walk of life are being noticed, so therefore change will inevitably happen through simple reflection.

165. The true appreciation and love of each other in all stages of life and the honouring of who we are is a beautiful reflection when fully embraced and inspirational for all. To fully embrace life in our beauty is a gift for us all and a treasure for our young to be held by.

166. It appears there are two choices as we age …. to either sit back and (give-up) not keep up with everyone and everything, or to remain being a part and evolve with where humanity moving towards … There is enormous value and wisdom that is added by elders to the community if the choice is to remain involved, engaged. The benefits support both the young and elderly.

167. That’s awesome to hear, Susan. It feels like the belief a woman needed to be married is a dinosaur relic from bygone eras when life for a single woman would have been super challenging. I also feel it comes from the times when women were the means to keeping our population going; having a child annually so there would be some children who survived the onslaught of childhood illnesses and reached adulthood to start the whole process all over again. It’s certainly time society let the concepts of being a ‘spinster’, ‘on the shelf’, ‘of no use to anyone’ vanish into the annals of history, never to surface again as every person counts, no matter what their circumstances.

168. I have an older friend who I do esoteric healing swaps with. She is in her late 70s and her body is ageing. The joy in her reminds me of a little girl skipping down the street. As her body ages she giggles about it. It is quite remarkable and refreshing to be around. She is simply who she is, and is definitely embracing life, and there is a care and love for her body but her joy and beauty is by no means attached to it.

     1. I am also living with this gorgeous lady like this and I find it a Joy every day!

     2. This is super gorgeous to see and feel especially when society as a general whole is reflecting something very opposite to what you share here Nikki.

     3. This is beautiful what you share, no matter what age we are at we can truly appreciate the joy and beauty in it.

169. We excel in service, and I have found that a drop in work levels and service leads to exhaustion, not the other way round.

     1. Someone I know works in maintenance and since there’s been an upgrade of the machinery used in the factory, there’s been way less work for the team to do on a daily basis – yet they are expected to ‘look busy’. It’s proven to be so much more exhausting for each and everyone of them (regardless of age) than when they were needing to work intensely to return the former lot of machinery back online – an ordinary, everyday example of what you have shared, Michael.

     2. This is very true Michael. It creates a lagging feeling in the body from the delay.

     3. So true. Learning to work in a steady and consistent way where I commit to what I know is actually needed (and not what I’d quite like to do, or other random distractions) re-energises me way more than any down-time, me-time break.

     4. When we are in service with purpose our energy levels are high, when we let go of purpose then creeps in the exhaustion.

170. As you say, Alison, ‘there are only so many holidays we can have, and only so many TV programmes we can watch before people start to vegetate and give up on life’ – yet this is the way most people sink into retirement. People who are either still in the paid workforce or volunteering seem to enjoy life more.
     Could it be that because they have purpose as a major ingredient in their days there is no need for them to want to escape life and the subsequent slide into disinterest and dementia that often follows?

171. Our true power as a woman, or anyone really, naturally emanates through our body and movements reflecting our connection to our essence, to Soul, to truth. This quality can be lived at any age and through our life, through every cycle, we are offered an opportunity to deepen our relationship with our power and wisdom in order to reflect to all the greater truth of who we are and are here to live. This opportunity is ever-present and ever-calling for us to surrender to being everything we are and sharing this gift with all until our very last breath.

     1. Beautifully said, Carola, and the fullness of our breath is way beyond our physiology and therefore unrestricted or unhampered by our age.

172. One thing about getting old is we can lead a horse to water and have no need in our self for it to drink.

173. Judy and Maltilda, what a beautiful contribution to the world this blog is. Instead of the dismissal of age, look to the embracing and in this we get to reap all the wisdom, beauty and sexiness that is on offer.

174. When I tell those around me at that at 68 I am feeling the most vital I have ever been and that I actually feel like I am growing younger, most look at me very strangely – as in how can you be growing younger? But this is truly how I am feeling and it is simply because I am making more self-loving choices than I have ever done and my beautiful body is responding in kind.

     1. That is also my experience, Ingrid. It sure throws the standard concept of ageing society currently has in place completely out the window, doesn’t it? Best of all one is NEVER TOO OLD to start making more self-loving choices in their life. I remember starting with consciously putting things down more gently, closing a door more gently, brushing my teeth with more gentleness and not so much rush. The choices of how to be more self-loving in one’s life are endless once the decision to give it go has been made. It sure worked and continues to work for me!

175. “No need for the resignation of, “I’ve got nothing to lose,” – but the choice to be inspired by the same feeling – unashamed and without shyness we can go for it, sharing our experience, wisdom and observations without reservation.” Absoultey agree here – nothing to lose, and everything to gain!

176. Thoughts related to ‘on the shelf’ are clearly coming from when we withdraw from life and start making life about ideals and beliefs without testing to feel whether they have any ounce of truth in them or not.

177. To be ‘on the shelf’ one must put oneself there… and therefore it is a simple choice to no longer be on that shelf… and another choice to be fully engaged in life.

178. No shelves allowed in evolution, they only amount to delay to returning to live who we truly are.

179. Each decade brings us something unique and equally magical. Instead of focusing on the number increasing, we can look deeper at what those particular years have in store and how we can deepen our relationships during this time.

     1. Absolutely gorgeous Susie… and so true – focusing on the positive in a very foundational way, building on each decade as we choose to evolve.

        1. So true. The quality of our relationships sets the foundation for all that follows in life – no matter what decade of life we are enjoying.

     2. Imagine how different we would be, how different our lives and the world would be if we were taught this from very young, and this was our way of living.

        1. I agree, Paula. It would be awesome to have been raised from childhood knowing and living this. Best of all for children raised this way, there’ll be none of the old baggage like we’ve had (or still have) to drop when we finally woke up and realised what we’ve done to ourselves by taking on all those false and outdated societal ideals and beliefs.

180. Losing the pressure of feeling like we need to have all the answers.. this is such a massive one that gets in the way of our natural expression at any age. But letting go of this need to ‘have it all together’ and make it look good, or to fit in by saying or doing ‘the right thing’ is so liberating- and empowers others to be more of themselves, too.

     1. We can’t have all the answers! What fun would it be to knowing everything, life is about discovering and evolving no matter what age we are. Old values and beliefs are like leaves as we approach the winter of this life, they slowly drop away.

        1. ‘Old values and beliefs are like leaves as we approach the winter of this life, they slowly drop away.’ Love the way you have expressed this, Steve, and it’s even better to live . . .

181. We need more elderly people that are fully committed to life and live their spark, without any holding back!! The youth needs and seeks the energy of the elderly. Without their engagement the world is in imbalance. Who actually invented something like retirement? It is actually a way of measuring life- the work, which for many is a burden throughout their whole life and then the time, when we can enjoy ourselves- retirement, free time. It actually keeps us in the cycle of discontentment and instability, because we live from one phase to the other- from good to bad. What if there would be no difference between the two?

     1. There are many youth today that look at the despondency in the world and ponder, what is the point! Throughout history, there have been many sparks to encourage us. There are many examples of elder wisdom in people living into their 80s and 90s when the average life expectancy was in the late 20s and 30s.
        Purpose and responsibility is the flame that keeps our candle lit.

     2. Seems to me the ‘more elderly people that are fully committed to life and live their spark, without any holding back’, we have in society, the more inspiring an example young people people would have showing them that the way to live is to be fully committed to life, without any holding back from the get-go.

182. True Beauty knows no age- the inner contentment is the biggest appeal you can have as a woman. I agree in every way what you shared here about the false pictures how you should act in a certain age. Wisdom though is in all of us, it is just on us, if we connect to it at no matter what age. It is interesting, that we often depend it on age how wise someone is- the only difference though is, that an elder person had probably more rounds of opportunities than a younger person to connect back to it. What we make out of these opportunities is our individual choice- some are younger making the choice and some are already older. But we connect all to the same universal wisdom.

     1. ‘True Beauty knows no age- the inner contentment is the biggest appeal you can have as a woman.’ How true is that!
        You’ve also hit the nail on the head also saying, ‘we often depend it on age how wise someone is- the only difference though is, that an elder person had probably more rounds of opportunities than a younger person to connect back to it.’ Wisdom has nothing to do with age and everything to do with the quality of choices a person has made – no matter what stage of life they are at.

183. We absolutely have a choice in how we age. It can be difficult to watch someone in the process of giving up or waiting to die as they get older. I feel that this is part of the reason why we focus so much on the younger generations for we are in reaction to the above rather than asking – what is in this reflection for me to learn? When we observe what is around us clearly without sympathy or reaction, then we get to make new choices such as being offered in this very beautiful blog.

     1. Great point, Jennifer, that reaction to watching someone in the process of giving up or waiting to die as they get older is what is behind society’s focus on youth and all that currently represents. Why would our younger people want to embrace growing older when they see the current way older age is represented and lived around them?
        I also feel that on some level, we all know that the way we live is what decides the quality of our elder years and there is a part of us that simply doesn’t want to face and own the level of self-responsibility this really means for us in each and every day we have throughout our lives.

184. “It is now our experience that our ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others”

     Well you don’t read this every day – gorgeous to read and feel, and here here to more of this.

185. It is always our choice – to take on the ideals and beliefs and sit on the shelf – or to fully embrace life.

186. A great question to be asking….“So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders?“ We deliberately dismiss those who have experienced life and look to the youth to bring change. Wisdom does not always come with age, but experience does and it would serve us well to listen, ask questions and learn from it.

187. “On the Shelf or Embracing Life?” – the more i age in years, the more i find myself embracing life because of one thing – love – the love i have re-found for myself (thanks to the Ageless Wisdom Teachings) for without this companion of true love i would most undoubtedly think and believe myself to be “on the shelf” as a single woman in her early 40s.

188. When people retire and put themselves out to pasture, the whole community loses out on the depth of understanding and wealth of experience gained over a lifetime of learning, that can be of such value and support to others. We do not need to have academic accolades to share our lived wisdom.

189. There comes the point where we will all become walking history! We possess something the internet can only regurgitate, a lived experience. We can listen to recorded music but; hearing, seeing and experiencing it live is something that you can feel. The only thing that stops our curiosity, that is an essential part of life, is ourselves!

190. Until I met Serge Benhayon I expected my life to be in decline as I grew older. This is how most of the population lives, and so the check out and dementia occurs as a consequence of our withdrawal from life. But there is so much more to us than this. In the light of our Soul we are evolving beings, and when we take this up, and embrace our true nature in our daily living, age is not an issue.

191. We have sayings like ‘over the hill’ and ‘its all downhill from here’ when we turn 40 – which is only half way through our lives generally… how does that impact our perspective and purpose in life at that early age? We are already putting people out ‘on the shelf’ as these comments would be having a subtle effect.

     1. And these comments come from a society that focuses on youthfulness and superficial beauty… rather than the innate beauty within all of us, the quality of all our relationships and the wisdom we innately share no matter what our age.

192. Judy and Matilda, Reading this I can feel how we are all missing out on the wisdom, lived experiences and grace of our elders – by having this idea in society that it’s better being young and that as we age, especially as women that we need to hold onto our youth for as long as possible, rather than accepting and embracing the natural change into becoming an elder; ‘is humanity as a whole avoiding the responsibility and balance of embracing growing old and the steadiness and deep understanding of life that these years hold’.

193. I have to admit when I was younger I did view those over fifty as over the hill, but now I have reached that age depending on the way I am living I feel great and look forward to many years still learning, working and getting to know myself and others a lot better as it never stops.

     1. I love this, Kevin, and totally me too, remembering looking at the over fifties as ‘past it’ and now, in the over fifty bracket myself, loving feeling my love of life and the inspiration for what lies ahead.

194. As I get to 60 I notice that some of my very old friends are slowly getting less vital and are looking forward to retirement and winding down. That makes perfect sense to me but I have never felt more vital in my life and I don’t have any attention of slowing down. I just love what I am doing and it feels great to simply continue and expand.

195. Just looking at one of your points Matilda and Judy: “That we will at some point ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’. Yes this need is an illusion, floating somewhere in the same realm as ‘hope’ floats (written so wonderfully upon by Fiona Lotherington). Having this thought is actually a giving away of our responsibility to access our divine intelligence right now and instead lay the onus on someone else.

196. I love this – for when I see a woman in her elder years live her life fully in the knowing of who she is and in the honouring of her elderly body, it is an inspiration for life itself. Which is why the ill-seeded notion we have bought hook, line and sinker that at a certain point in our lives we are ‘over the hill’ and ‘off the shelf’ is utterly evil. When a woman – or man for that matter – shrinks into the shadows in their elder years, they take us with them into the shadows as well.

197. We can lose sight of the inner being inside of us all, when we judge people from the perspective of their age group.

     1. That is so true, jennym, and the world is so much poorer because of it.

198. Our whole society has been so deeply programmed by the myth of ‘work hard all your life then get the reward of doing what YOU want to do – go caravanning around the country, travelling the world, gardening or reading all day’ but when this time actually comes it has a nightmarish, useless sort of feeling underneath it, as if there is no purpose to the day, no true rhythm – very subtle but there. Therefore there can be a deep sense of being on the shelf and of no more use. This happened for me when I retired years ago at 60, from teaching and researching at University and on top of that I moved up north where I virtually knew no one except two amazing practitioners. I felt utterly lost. I realised that I had to contribute to society in some way otherwise there was no point in living – and then I went back into the workforce. Certainly I feel I am expanding and expanding more joyfully into life than ever before. No shelf-sitting!

     1. Super inspiring to read your experience around retirement, Lyndy, and your subsequent decision to return to the workforce. As you share, huge amounts of programming goes on around expectations once people have given up working. It’s no wonder many feel let down when they realise the hollowness this way of living – ‘caravanning around the country, travelling the world, gardening or reading all day’ etc. actually holds.

        1. Totally Judith. I see so many examples of the hollowness of retirement around me everyday – the retired couple next door have the radio- chatter blaring all day to fill their emptiness (luckily once we enter our home this cannot be heard); others get totally obsessed with their grandchildren, making them the centre of the universe (not that I am discouraging grandparental input on Grandchildren) and another couple I know who are younger than me go overseas for 4 months of the year for a holiday to France..But all the while the emptiness and desolation at not contributing to society is gnawing away at the edges of this so called ‘good life’.

199. We all have a responsibility to share our wisdom throughout our lives, and as the years pass we have more lived experience to reflect on and share with everyone… there is no end to the responsibility and no end to the wisdom on offer.

     1. Yes, Paula, no matter what age or stage of life we are at, ‘there is no end to the responsibility and no end to the wisdom on offer.’ Is it possible it’s this depth of responsibly that has people choosing (both consciously and unconsciously) to put themselves on the shelf?
        It’s such a life changer when you become aware of all this outplay going on in life.

200. The phrase ’embracing life’ is so full of purpose and joy, and so expansive… in complete contrast to staying isolated and contained on a shelf!

201. And it really is wonderful to be out in the community just being ourselves, and bringing a totally new way of ageing… When I’m teaching in primary schools kids always ask… “How old are you exactly?” 🙂 …to see someone of my generation having so much fun and bopping around opens up really new perspectives for them.

     1. That’s so gorgeous, what an inspiration for them – that the joy and exuberance we naturally have the we let ourselves be who we truly are, never leaves us. In fact it just deepens, deepens and deepens. Turns the notion of unrequited youth totally on its head. The joy we all yearn for has nothing to do with age or the confines of time.

        1. Most definitely Katerina… Sometimes I look into the future and know that I will be doing the same thing when I really get old 🙂

     2. Yes, Chris, as you say, it really is wonderful ‘to be out in the community just being ourselves, and bringing a totally new way of ageing…’
        People are only as old as they choose to be. Being young at heart make such a difference to the way one ages. Children are super readers of this and are so aware of where people are coming from.

202. Your list of myths that are so often accepted as ‘how it is’ in relation to ageing are so far from the truth of how it can be for anyone as we get older. There was a time when I would have gone along with this too, but as I approach my sixties I am deeply appreciating myself how I feel, what I am offering to the wider community and beyond, as well as those close to me. Sometimes I feel as though I am just starting out, and definately not that I am reaching a point of no return!

     1. Super to read your experience of ageing, Sandra. I have found appreciation of oneself is key to having a fulfilling life, no matter what age we actually are.

     2. Yes, it is a great feeling when your vitality increases.

203. This blog makes way for self-empowerment and true connection to our purpose and so also our embracing of our lives and everything within it. It shows us that the many dynamics are for us to learn from and let go of things that have not served us and those things that we need further exploring and appreciating. Thank you for expressing this both with us.

204. What stands out to me here is now we often think we get to a point in life and that is it, there is no more, our time is over. When really every day offers us more and every day sets us up for the next, in this life and in life to come, and that wisdom is to be shared.

205. Rather than seeing life as a lineal line that slowly declines into shadows, with a brief and bright youth. What if we could turn this perception around, that every day of our life could be bright and beautiful and build into the next, growing and evolving as we grow older rather than diminishing.

     1. Yes, so much is lost for those that have the belief that a brief and bright youth is all that counts in life. Each and every day presents us with so many opportunities to learn more about ourselves and grow a deeper understanding of others.

        1. I agree, and often our perception of what constitutes a bright youth is one that is intense, self abusive, reckless and irresponsible, because you have to ‘live while your young’. I watch those around me run themselves into the ground in their youth through partying, alcohol, drugs, train wreck relationships, studying etc all to have ‘fun’ and experience life, but where does it leave them? Healthy, steady and vital and prepared for the rest of their life? What if we approached every day as an opportunity to build towards our future so that we only get stronger in ourselves as we get older, investing in our youth for the rest of our lives.

        2. You’ve raised a great point here, Rebecca. Our young ‘run themselves into the ground in their youth through partying, alcohol, drugs, train wreck relationships, studying etc all to have ‘fun’ and experience life’, yet many people continue to live many aspects of this even as they age.
           It’s put down as having fun and many are keen to hold onto this way of living and its perception of youthfulness as they enter their more mature years of age. What is overlooked however, is the huge toll this collectively takes on the body as it ages and the subsequent consequences to their health and vitality.

        3. “What if we approached every day as an opportunity to build towards our future so that we only get stronger in ourselves as we get older, investing in our youth for the rest of our lives.” Superbly said Rebecca, a way of life that truly supports us instead of trying to manage one day after the other.

206. Do we embrace, walk and breathe Love? Or do we say we’ll build up to it later? Is it any surprise that we put ourselves on the shelf when we do the same thing with the magic of God? It’s never too late to accept our precious divinity, better this life than next I say. Thank you Matilda and Judy for this treasure.

207. As a member of staff in my first job in a secondary school, I went to support some 6th formers on a German exchange trip to Munich. At one point during the trip on an outing, I found myself alone with the older member of staff I had gone out with (he was near retirement) and with the host German teacher who was also approaching retirement. It felt very joyful and confirming to be in their company and it was a moment in time that I will not forget. Many younger staff back at the school were not expecting me to get on so well with my colleague given there was an age gap of about 30 years and that we were so different, but nobody had reckoned on how much I valued his elder quality or appreciated his accrued wisdom and innate sensitivity.

208. It is so refreshing to read how the curiosity and openness we can have to go about life never ceases.

     1. I feel that curiosity and openness about life and living is what supports people to remain young in their approach to life – to stay open-minded and open-hearted to the opportunities that come towards them on a daily basis.

     2. I agree Esther – it never does cease when we make it about our inner most connection and not about the beliefs and perceptions society impose on us. When we come from our inner most essence we see the wonder of life, the wonder of God in fact, everywhere. How can you ever go ‘off the shelf’ when that is what is within you?

        1. Yes, this is beautifully described Katerina, when we live from what is within us, our essence, there is no change in how we feel but when we make it about our outer perception and physicality we think life starts and ends and that we have to be a certain way at the various stages.

209. “Talking to others and as we feel now there is no ‘getting it,’” I love this because it shows how we will always be ourselves, there will be no magical change we get older we will always be with ourselves. it is only and always only our choices in each moment that will make the difference in our life.

210. We are so fortunate to be able to grow old as many don’t get the opportunity. Every minute on the planet is rich with opportunity to truly make a difference and elders offer a huge support to those facing challenges in the earlier stages.

     1. “Every minute on the planet is rich with opportunity to truly make a difference”. So beautiful to hear. There cannot be a single boring moment in life then.

211. ‘the gorgeous thing being that we actually start to feel younger, realising how much we still have to learn and losing the pressure of needing to look like we have all the answers.’ I agree, and it really is so enjoyable.

     1. Society, on the whole, continues to set up our younger people to think they need to have all the answers, yet the label ‘know-it-all’, used in a derogatory manner to put people down, shows even knowing heaps is not the answer to life. It is so freeing when we realise this is all a set-up to make us feel less than we truly are and stop placing this impossible expectation on ourselves.

212. I don’t feel I will ever stop being active, sit back or be put out to pasture. I may well slow my pace as my body ages, but being involved with life to the end is a great example to give to younger people

     1. The gentle slowing of one’s pace as the body ages certainly isn’t a sign that older people have nothing to offer to the recipe that makes up life. I find it rather interesting that the media are keen to speak with people once they reach 100 in an attempt to discover what their secret is to living to such an age, yet these centenarians have been overlooked for many many years before they reach this age. The wisdom they have doesn’t suddenly appear when they are 100 years old; it’s been acquired as they’ve lived their lives – no different from you and me.

213. Yes, we could say that in western society today we generally sideline anyone over 50, or maybe even 40, as we glorify beauty and having the perfect life over the innate qualities and relationships that develop over time and support us to evolve.

     1. Yes there’s so much more on offer than the glorifying of the current concept of surface beauty and the ideals and beliefs of what a ‘perfect life’ is widely perceived to be in large areas of the world.
        There is great joy to be had in embracing the ever-available opportunities to reconnect with one’s inner qualities of wisdom and true beauty as well as enjoying the increasing depth of relationship it is possible to share with other people.

214. To step aside for the younger generation as we age is to give our power away to an ideal that says youth is more productive or worthwhile and completely overlooks the equality in our essence or inner hearts.

     1. Very true, it shows how much we have put life into categories and the constant competition to be better, all the while we are equal in our essence and thus equal in the wisdom that lives within us.

215. On the shelf or embracing life? Great question to be asked at any age. Are we truly open and embracing all that life presents, and seeing the opportunities or packages that life presents for us to learn and grow and to continually refine and shed old patterns of behaviours that no longer serve us… Life is a great learning school as long as we do not sit on the shelf, holding ourselves back.

     1. I agree Jacqueline – on the shelf or not, this is something that is relevant for any age. I have personally been sitting on the shelf a lot in my life, by my own choice. I have finally learnt that the only way to truly live as opposed to merely exist, is to be deeply committed to life and willing to stay truly connected to people as well as myself.

216. Every age, every aspect of life is so important, because a True reflection is all that is needed and even after our death if we have no fear but a True understanding of who we are, then even in the after life plan of existence people get to see a reflection from one who has evolved.

217. “are we resisting the natural cycles of life and the richness they hold, disregarding and undervaluing all that is on offer from our elders and their lived experience?” – It’s crazy that the older generation often feel the most isolated and supposedly ‘useless’ in terms of contributing to society, when that is the point in our lives when they may have the MOST insight and wisdom to give back!

218. A beautiful blog and these words I particularly embrace today, “There is an acceptance that introduces humility, a life-enriching quality that allows us to view the world and our place and purpose in it with a sense of the bigger picture and the joy of our equality.”

219. Recently I have been privileged to spend time with two young women. We have had the most amazing conversations where there has been trust and equality and openness. I really appreciate how when we are being ourselves, age is no barrier to connection and intimacy. Thank you Judy and Matilda for your reflections on ageing gracefully, you show that there is another way to embrace ageing.

     1. “I really appreciate how when we are being ourselves, age is no barrier to connection and intimacy.” I very much agree with you, we have made age a barrier but in truth it is not and there is no need for superiority nor inferiority that we have learned to apply when it comes to age.

220. It’s such a amazing blog to read where life gets better as one (or two 😉) gets older! Usually it deteriorates and depreciates in value as the years roll on.

221. I agree elders have a significant part to play in humanity and it is often not fully utilised, appreciated or celebrated, it is a something missing in our lives.

222. On further contemplation, parking ourselves on the shelf so to speak can begin at a very early age, and essentially is any time when we have stopped to value what we bring, have stopped to value the core of who we are and where we are truly from. And so it is a habit (the shelving) that we may perhaps lop with the elderly, but in fact it is something that begins at a far earlier age, and perhaps is only more obvious when society reflects this back to us in our older years! But how many times have I held back what was needed to be said, or not done what was truly needed, out of doubts, or hesitations or laziness or lethargy and complete lack of appreciation of what is on offer? How is this not shelving myself? And so we get to see that not only does society do this to people, but perhaps just perhaps it has something to do with our own choices too.

223. Society does seem to ‘shelve’ the elders, or see them as having a use-by-date that is out of date, rather than appreciating the qualities and the wisdom that they can bring and value their contributions deeply. It is like an unwritten rule that once you reach a certain age, especially as a woman, then your value has ceased. This is a very damaging approach in our society, for then it means we miss out on so much! And at the same time, we can see that many elderly play this game too and just succumb to giving their power away to this societal game of being shelved. And so it is time for us to contemplate deeply on this situation, and begin to appreciate what is on offer in terms of appreciating ourselves, and those around us and all the qualities that we bring regardless of age. And this will gradually begin to erode the erroneous beliefs that abound about shelving someone and unfold a more true way for us all to be with each other and our elderly!

224. Yes embracing life and seeing it as the beginning not the end. Appreciating the wisdom, the freedom to breath and reflect, to use those moments of repose and consideration to impulse the next movements. I love being older, I just wonder why I thought the age I am was ever ‘old’!!! because I feel younger and more alive both inside and out than I ever have before.

     1. Same here Lucy, I love being older too, and like you I feel so much more alive than ever before, as I have learned to accept myself and all my imperfections as well as accepting my grandness and my sacredness as a woman which is a continually unfolding as all my insecurities and fears just drop away.

        1. Then let’s rock that jacqmcfadden04! We need to share this feeling with other women so we can all embrace our imperfections, grandness, sacredness and vulnerability and see them all as strengths! We learn from every opportunity when our body is at the core of the relationship.

225. There are so many out there now that are embracing their elder years and living in the joy of being themselves no matter their age which is very inspiring.

226. I can tell within my every day experience whether I am parking myself on the shelf or embracing life. The difference is profound. If I decide to coast for a day and sit back my whole body feels lethargic, my eyes lose their sparkle and I feel depressed. The days when I decide to embrace life I feel like a totally different person. I have vitality and joy, my eyes sparkle, and my interactions with people are totally gorgeous. We don’t need anyone else to park us on the shelf – we can do this to ourselves!

227. What a truly uplifting and inspiring blog to be read by all women of all ages – that gives women permission to grow old gracefully, to let go of youth and what no longer is important and embrace the next stage of learning and deepening, and valuing all our lived experience and sharing this, in such a way that lights up the path for all other women who will travel the same path of growing older.

228. Judy and Matilda, this is really beautiful; ‘the responsibility on offer to support and mentor others, sharing what we have learnt along the way.’ Reading this I can feel how valuable elders are in our society, there can be so much to learn from them and thinking that elders are past it and ‘on the shelf’ feels incredibly disrespectful. If we think like this then we all loose out on the wisdom and wealth of experiences that the elders in our community can offer.

229. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us Matilda and Judy. Your words have me wondering… why wait another day before I stop worrying about what other people think? I also feel deep gratitude for the reflection of the elder men and women in my life. Lived experience Is a powerful teacher.

230. Growing older with the wisdom of the The Way of The Livingness certainly breaks the mould frees us from the chains of retirement and winding down from life as it now sits in society!

231. The myths that you talk about here in relation to ageing, particularly for women are so dismissive of someone getting older, when in fact we all have such a wealth of experience and wisdom to share with our younger generations. And whats more, when we fully embrace ourselves, no matter what our age, the beauty and grace that shines out is equally inspiring for anyone who may be feeling that life is passing them by.

232. The world needs all of our reflections, irrespective of what age we are.

233. “That we will at some point ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’” this is a great one to reflect on, I always thought that this was down to time, what I get now is its about choices, connection and how we life. The difference is there is no time limiting our connection to the all – yet there is no time that we will be able to hold onto all that is known.

234. This is the most gorgeous role-model – an elder woman who is sexy and vibrant and expressing of herself.

235. Growing old in order to be born again, what a glorious process.

236. “On the Shelf or Embracing Life?” – as i’ve been experiencing since hitting my 40s….the more we embrace the loveliness of ourselves the less we care or are bothered about “being on the shelf”.. knowing that the shelf does not exist and where instead there is but a platform that propels us towards greater depth and thus greater enjoyment in life, and of life.

237. So agree Judy and Matilda, ‘That, maybe particularly for women, it is all over in terms of our physical attractiveness to others’. This has been a total misapprehension of what is actually going on. Women do not get less physically attractive as they age if they stay connected to their inner heart. It is the hardness and exhaustion and bitterness that the disconnected life brings on that makes a woman unattractive at any age. All one needs is a divine connection to the truth of the self and you will be carrying around with you a pair of eyes that will melt and disarm no matter what your age.

     1. Gosh you’ve hit the nail on the head in your words, ‘It is the hardness and exhaustion and bitterness that the disconnected life brings on that makes a woman unattractive at any age,’ Lyndy; the same goes for men.

238. It is as you say, Shirley-Ann about being willing to embrace life in every moment, prepared to make mistakes and forging forward for truth, and definitely not packing up in any way. That goes for anyone, of any age.

239. To fully be able to embrace life we need to let go of all the pictures we have about what we think our life ‘should’ look like.

240. What a beautiful sharing on growing older and all that is on offer to us and the responsibility we hold with this that i am feeling also.” We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.”

     .

241. “In our experience of being elders, at work, in our families and amongst our community, there is a grace in accepting growing older and a huge service in taking responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society.” This is empowering and enriching life for all.

242. “So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders? With our attention and attachment to youthfulness, are we resisting the natural cycles of life and the richness they hold, disregarding and undervaluing all that is on offer from our elders and their lived experience?” Yes, we are! This only allows us to live half a life, for we are cutting out a crucial wisdom, when we cut out our elders.

243. Not only have we learned from our mistakes (hopefully) there are many things we no longer need in our lives that allow us more space. We have lived experiences that are hidden gold that is on offer for anyone that asks.

244. What is the most fun and empowering at the same time is whenever the world pushes us to be ignored or dismissed, we would find again another way to find a steady strong hold to step on, we open up our environment and open our arms to welcome more people to join us by the Truth that is within everyone of us.

245. Thats a great point Jane, we don’t need to retire from life, but just maybe consider changing the pace of life.

246. When we focus on what is outside of us we miss the beauty within.

247. Embracing life is actually what supports me with being energised and ready for the day ahead.

248. We all have so much to share and offer others no matter what our age.

     1. That is what I have seen and experienced too, James. The youngest person to the oldest we have in our lives have so much to offer when we are willing to stop and appreciate the opportunity in this.

        1. Stopping and appreciating what and who is before us is a great reminder to stop the rush and need to get somewhere rather enjoy fully being where I am and who I am with.

249. If we truly look at the state of humanity, and recognise the part that we still play, we surely know that we absolutely have nothing to lose in bringing it all – and everything to lose if we don’t.

     1. The old ways of looking at life are certainly not supportive, Jenny, when we look back over the track record humanity has created for themselves.

250. During childhood I gained the belief that growing old was an unwelcome, if not dreaded, inevitable event to come tinged with fear. However, as I grow older, now in my sixties, the experience is thankfully not fulfilling that expectation at all. In fact I am greatly enjoying, feeling more alive, committed and enjoying life more than perhaps I have ever done in my younger years.

     1. That’s great to hear, jstewart51. This ‘feeling more alive, committed and enjoying life more than perhaps I have ever done in my younger years’ is certainly breaking the mould of what society generally pictures growing older to feel like. We aren’t clapped out ‘has beens’ – just people who have learned lots more about life because we have lived in a way that keeps us more vital and committed to living life in full to the best of our ability. I really enjoy meeting people older than me who are doing just this, as it is so inspiring.

251. “So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders?” Could it be that by avoiding the quality of the elder and instead only marvel youth to be it in life, we can continue to live irresponsible lives that otherwise would be revealed as a repetition of the same and as not working from the lived experience of the elder?

     1. That is such a valid point you made about the irresponsibility of it all, Nico. So much energy and time can be wasted repeating the same things that one’s elders have already learned from experience were such a waste of time and effort . . . and so the generations keep going on round and round in circles in more ways than one.

        1. Yes Judith, in putting away the elder as of less value we can avoid looking in honesty to life and admit that we are failing as a species.

252. Human life on earth is set up so that there is always some desired peak point or high, which automatically makes everything that is not that peak point look low e.g.. young is high, old age is low. This is a false consciousness and rhythm that tends to rule life here, because we have forgotten the ‘One Life’ – we are always Sons of God whether we are taking out the garbage or accepting accolades on stage, whether we are young or old. This permanent truth is the source to live from, not the mad roller coaster that is a set-up and always leaves one desiring to be other than one, in essence, is.

     1. You’ve made such a valid point about the highs and lows on offer in life, Lyndy, and how this can trick us into thinking there is always a better high to be striving for. No wonder so many people are exhausted nowadays and aren’t enthusiastic about growing older as it is simply living more of the same, but in an older body. It’s super to have found there is another way of looking at and living life that supports people to keep their vitality and enthusiasm for life.

        1. I so agree Judith – such a valid point about the level of exhaustion that this mode of living creates – the stimulation brought by the rollercoaster is an ersatz ‘life’ run from the nervous system that the human spirit loves, instead of continually nurturing and enriching the body from the impulse of God.

     2. This is so beautifully true Lindy.

253. “That we will at some point ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’” – the great thing I’ve been finding as I enter into my 40s is no longer having the know-it-all cross that I used to have in my 20s and 30s thinking that because I’m “well educated” I should know. The more I learn to self-love, the more at ease I am with not knowing, not understanding, and things like having to check the spelling of a word no longer phases me. The more at ease we are in our own skin the less having the answer(s) matters.. and what arises instead is inner wisdom. This is something I have found can occur as one matures through age years, though as we know wisdom itself is age-less.

     1. Yes the ease of being in one’s own skin is super to experience and not needing to have all the answers feels great, doesn’t it?

254. The grace of accepting the ageing process of the body can not be hidden for this grace and beauty is what speaks louder than words or fashion.

255. We are all capable of bringing through deep wisdom because of the nature of our bodies being naturally built to express, and it is part of our evolution back to our truth. As most of us haven’t done that from young, as we get older we do move into stages of letting go of the reasons why we chose to hold back and come to a place where we feel the absolute responsibility of expressing the lived wisdom to help others and the joy that brings.

     1. Beautifully said, Julie. No one is left out from being able to access this wisdom, other than by their own choices as they live life, and that is what a lot of people don’t like facing when they realise this.

256. As with everything, it is a choice to put ourselves on the waste tip, thinking we are past it, or sit back shrinking in the shadows. Or we can embrace life and remain active and engaged, mentally and physically continuing to contribute to society. I know which way I’m choosing, no shadows for me.

     1. The way you claim that Gill feels very strong… ‘no shadows for me’… super cute and inspiring.

     2. Spot on, Gill, and I join you in full sunshine.

257. As I approach my forties, what I am realising is that with each year that passes is another year of opportunities to let go of the patterns that do not belong so that I am able to live more as myself as opposed to living from my reactions to life and my hurts. And as this process unfolds, I feel and live life a whole lot better than when I was younger.

258. Age and ageing is something very much related to the stages that the physical body goes through from being born to passing over, yet the essence of a person remains the same throughout.

     1. And if we accept that our bodies are the vehicles for this essence, it becomes much simpler to choose to honour and care for them with respect and appreciation for the changes through life.

259. Elder wisdom comes with connection and nothing to do with how young or old we are!! So make life one of connection and “responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society,” which will always share the love.

260. There is a lot of misery at the moment with growing old, the getting ill, the decline in quality of life at the later ages of life and so on. I feel we need to look at the whole life we are living and the quality of that life, because the life we live before will be the foundation for what comes next. If we are already ‘on the shelf’ so to speak but have to work we are still in the world but this will get very visible at the age of retirement as then there is nothing we ‘have to do’ anymore and the way we feel about ourselves and life get truly exposed. So it goes for every age to not hold back and be ourselves, not shelf ourselves.

     1. Well said, Lieke, and much wisdom in your, ‘So it goes for every age to not hold back and be ourselves, not shelf ourselves.’

     2. This is so well exposed Lieke. If we have been living our life as if we are already in the shelf, without valuing and expressing the fullness of who we are at heart, and the only saving grace has been work (which many of us engage in grudgingly) that has kept us committed to life in the world, when we no longer have that activity to cloud the truth, the emptiness that we have been choosing will be well and truly in our face.

261. At the age of 58 I am starting new careers, quite regularly as they ‘drop into my lap’. Who would have thought!

     1. Which goes to show that age is not what really counts; it’s what the person has to offer and, if that comes with life experience, that’s a super bonus.

        1. I love that Judith, “it’s what the person has to offer and, if that comes with life experience, that’s a super bonus.” It is the whole package that needs to be honoured, never just singled out qualities, otherwise we miss out dearly on what every person brings.

262. There is definitely a wisdom that can come with lived experience, to have walked through the various ages and stages of life and to have learnt so much. It would truly benefit society to have value placed back on elders and their wisdom of experience, and for this wisdom to be shared between the generations.

     1. It goes both ways too – the older to younger generation and vice versa in my experience.

263. No more shelf-sitting – us powerful elders are out of the closet.

     1. And there’s no putting the lid on us . . .

264. ‘Don’t shelf yourself’ 😉 the world misses out on everything you have to offer

     1. Love this statement… Its suitable for all ages!

     2. This is one of those comments that I can see as a car bumper sticker, reminding us of the innate gifts we all have to share… succinct, cute and inspiring

        1. I agree Matilda, It is an awesome play on words Susie and a great reminder thank you.

265. This can be the case in any stage of life, not just moving into old age. We can put ourselves on the shelf and choose to stay there, digging our heals in. Embracing life and all it brings is the antidote to this.

266. He who puts himself on the shelf can easily be confirmed by others by putting him on the shelf to; he who embraces life and expresses himself cannot be put on a shelf even when others try to do so.

     1. One that embraces life and expresses himself can never be put on the shelf.

     2. Very true Alexander, we cannot put on the shelf or in the box a multi-dimensional being it is only when we narrow ourselves down when we can.

267. ‘No need to shrink into the shadows. We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.’ When we embrace getting older, in stead of wishing we were still young, we experience the richness of this phase of life. Personally, at nearly sixty, the older I get the better I feel….so that says something! No thought of retiring, actually just started a new career path.

     1. Yes Mary-Louise, by simply embracing ageing turns the table on how we experience it, seeing how much we can offer if we live this with responsibility and the lightness that comes with it.

     2. I agree entirely Mary-Louise. It is simialr for me. Someone asked me my age today, and when I told them I was in my late fifties they could not believe it. I feel younger and look younger than ever and am also starting out on a new venture. We always have so much to offer, regardless of our age.

     3. Beautiful “We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.’ “

268. Judy and Matilda, I love the title of this article, ‘On the Shelf or Embracing Life?’ What a clear choice we have between the two, I love how you are both embracing life, have purpose and are committed to serve and inspire others to show what is possible and that we definitely do not have to end up on the shelf – far from it.

     1. I agree Susan, it is crazy how we accept becoming old, ill and weak as an inevitability rather than embracing life and offering our much needed wisdom back to others.

269. “So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders?” as with everything in society we are often wanting what is new, I also used to think someone that is older is ‘out of touch’ yet the reality in that is a dismissal of the wisdom that our elders have.

270. Isn’t it true that joyfulness is infectious to all around you, regardless of your age. Why hide that fact but instead let the joy be fully see.

271. Age has the potential to put things into perspective – if we should choose so and thus to set us free from what doesn´t belong to who we are and contribute to life in a way that really matters, or to we can use age to bury ourselves deeper into the disappointment, regret and resentment that may have poisoned our journey through life bit by bit until we gave up on being able to change the route we have taken. in the end, no matter what age, it comes back to choices, the choice to take responsibility for making life a true and loving one.

272. Thank God I am learning more every day to detach myself from the zillion ideals, beliefs and pictures we keep circulating in society and to connect more deeply to how I actually feel. At times I am caught in the whole drama of life and identify with the hurts and emotions. Yet I am learning that when I am settled within, there is a depth of love, clarity and power. We are so much more than these pictures, whether they falsely pump someone up or have them think they need to sit on the shelf.

273. When we put elders in a box, we are saying no to the wisdom and tenderness they offer. We don’t want to see the strength, stability and beauty that is possible in older people and the balance it brings to the world.

274. I was recently in a city, which for me is a great opportunity to observe people. I noticed a lot of people, not necessarily old people who seemed resigned to an existence. They felt like they have put themselves on a shelf and are just going through the motions and existing each day, getting one step closer to ‘the end’. This is crazy considering how rich our life can be but many of us seem to have given up on that.

275. We have the perception that once we reach a certain age, loneliness, illness and lack of mobility is the norm. To be an elder with vitality, health and a joy for life, whilst sharing a lived wisdom with others doesn’t have to be out of the norm and is certainly very possible.

276. We all have so much to give, so much to offer society, no matter what our age, gender, background etc. Even if we feel like we have failed miserably in life, if we look at life in terms of a learning, at least we can say that there are things we would never do again – the moment we do this or say this, and put it into action (as in not repeating that situation again) then we are at a point to offer this as wisdom to those around us. Living life and being open to learning is what allows us to grow, and in the process be role models. Many elderly (and many young too for that matter!) have much wisdom, but have not stopped to appreciate what they bring and have not stopped to value who they are – in turn society too has turned a blind eye to them. Now it is for all of us to realise that we have a wealth of wisdom around us and it is about appreciating this, and allowing it to blossom – any woman and man of any age are a beautiful and valuable contribution to society!

     1. What you have expressed is so what’s available if we open our eyes and see what each and every person can truly contribute to society. Better still this is also never-ending, always there on offer. It’s just up to us to choose to let this wealth of wisdom blossom.

277. When we disregad the elders in our community we also disregard an immense wealth of wisdom and lived experience, we cut ourselves off from it and say no, I’m going to reinvent the wheel all by myself.

     1. Not only do we disregard and cut ourselves off, but in doing so we make it the norm to go into our older age with the expectation of not being valued for all we have to offer.

278. And if we embrace growing older and being all that we are, truly appreciating ourselves and who we are in essence and the qualities we bring, how inspiring is this then for our younger generation knowing that they to can do the same ✨

     1. I’d also like to add that the younger generation have and continue to inspire me with the depth of wisdom they too hold. I have found the ‘cross fertilisation’ between the generations is a two way street and we are all the richer for this.

279. I can’t imagine ever having all the answers to life and I’m not sure this is something I would ever want, but I can see how this pressure is placed on to our elders in society, without perhaps understanding or appreciating the real gems of wisdom they either have yet to express or are actually being expressed all of the time.

280. I am nearly sixty and from my experience ageing is nothing like how it is talked about by most in humanity and the dread I thought it would be when I was young. I have also found it to be the best years of my life and am looking forward to my sixties and seventies. If we embrace each decade and surrender to what is on offer then we see that we do not lose anything, we simply move on with all our accumulated wisdom.

281. ‘If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others.’ Like the majestic oak tree whose roots go to the greatest depths, who’s trunk holds the steadiness and stillness of the ages and who’s branches and leaves reach out to embrace life all around.

282. “On the Shelf” – this phrase, or expression is so demeaning and appalling … and it is one which I have used about myself in the past as a younger woman in her 20’s and 30’s, and something I’d be afraid others would label me as too as i aged in years ….in other words the phrase implies I am/a woman is – second hand goods, past the sell-by date, untouchable…and that in turn “women on the shelf” have to “settle for second best” be “grateful for the crumbs” when it comes to relationships/partnerships, which can also translate into the professional area too when it comes to negotiating salaries and knowing one’s worth. Knowing the value of us through not any age or such delineation but instead through our innate quality banishes such curses to make them of no value at all – I love how your blog confirms all this and equally the importance of your own and of any woman’s importance irrespective of her age.

     1. These sayings/labels are appallingly demeaning and so reflect how much women have stacked against them in all aspects of their lives the way society currently is – and have been for aeons. As you share from experience, Zofia, knowing our innate worth, not by gender or age, is definitely the way to free ourselves from being pulled down by their negative intent and disregard of the person they are being directed at.

283. When I was younger i feared growing old, I was told my childhood were the best days of my life. Today I can say with 100% certainty that wherever that came from was not even close to the truth. For each day that goes around and I feel more and more complete, solid and with greater purpose than the day before (without perfection!). Today I can say that its up to us to embrace life and with that the whole aspect of how we are with ourselves in older age and how we treat others will change.

     1. There is so much in what you have said, DN. Experience has taught me that people who are truly accepting of themselves are the ones who are more open and accepting of the differences in people and, as a flow-on, more caring in the way they relate to others as well.
        As for childhood being the best days/years of one’s life – that’s a bit of a furphy when you stop and really consider the way life offers us so many experiences and opportunities to realise and increasingly value our inner qualities and strengths over the years – something that is ever available, without end, if we choose to stay open to it, right up to our very last breath.

     2. Well said DN, and then there is also the whole idea in society, that, especially as a woman it is all downhill from 35 yo, in other words your value as a woman drops as you age and as you lose your youthful appearance. And yet this has been the opposite experience for me thus far in life (thankfully so!) – and what you say is so true as it is up to us to embrace life and how we are with ourselves at any time or phase in our life.

284. Our society seems to look down at the ageing process as something to dread, avoid and at times moan about, but this blog simple blows this way of embracing aging out of the waters and into the light. It supports us to understand that aging is in fact a beautiful process, especially when we fully embrace it and experience how super amazing it is. Also, it supports us to see how aging gracefully comes with wisdom, sexiness, delicateness, joy, and sensitivity and holds equal level of responsibility and love as any other times in our life.

285. The more we embrace life the more vibrant and vital we become.

     1. That certainly is what I and many others have experienced, Fiona. Best of all it’s available no matter what age you are.

286. It is a true blessing to read these words and to have a community that embraces life as a whole.

287. Our bodies may age but the wisdom an elder has to offer is age-less.

     1. That sums it up perfectly, Rosanna.

288. The more I embrace growing older and not falling for the ideal of staying and looking younger the more I embrace that life is a constant learning, it will not stop at a certain age, every moment is an opportunity to evolve and get to know more of who we are.

289. Connection to our Soul expresses agelessness and arises above any physicality or time in years.

290. The old paradigm of growing old is equal to become redundant to society is one we have to let go of and instead we have to embrace the elderly in our societies with the same appreciation as we do with our newborn.

     1. The day this is the way people choose to approach life will truly be a game changer and everyone will benefit with the equal valuing of people, no matter what stage of life they are at.

        1. Sure this day when this is the way people choose to approach life will be a day to remember as it will restore a way of living we all know so well from the inside but have long time ago walked away from.

291. It is such a shame society has developed the idea of retiring from life when in reality we are made to keep contributing and sharing for our whole life.

     1. Great point Jennym, I notice most people I know look forward to their retirement, but when I observe people around me who have retired, I get the sense that they feel restless, bored and even frustrated after a while. So, it makes sense to me now why people may feel this way because it is natural for us to continuously contribute and share our wisdom and love with our communality no matter what age we are.

292. Life never stops unfolding and evolving so why should we no matter what age we are. We may understand different ages as giving us different angles and perspectives towards life (inside and outside) and thus we experience different facets of life, learning different lessons that are all unique just like every one of us is unique.

     1. Agree Alex if we know that each stage of our life has something to offer us and that by embracing this we continue to unfold and evolve then age does not matter as evolving becomes our focus not ageing.

293. Reading your words makes it clear how we rob ourself of so much wisdom and beauty when all that we are concerned with is not getting older and spending our time and thoughts on how to stay young and look young. Such a nuisance, as the fact remains that our bodies age and decay. But as you describe and live, with the focus on how we feel innately regardless of our age, we bring out our inner essence and that is what counts and that is what remains the same.

294. Our love does not expire but we wither when we turn away from it, regardless of our age.

     1. Indeed Lianne, love does not expire and so do we because we are love. It is only how much we can connect with this love that makes the difference in how lively we stand in life.

        1. I love this, Nico ‘…how lively we stand in life.’ I know of a number of adults who no longer stand lively in life, and they are still in their 20’s! Connecting with love has made all the difference in my life – I am 57 going on 40 and can’t remember feeling this good since I myself was in my early 20’s.

295. Social media has really thrown a spanner in the works, especially when it’s a common sight to see people alongside each other, but with their heads buried in their phones. This huge uptake of technology appears to be creating a greater disconnect in society even though it’s promoted as living connected to the world. What are the effects of this on their connection to themselves and the unique qualities they are here on earth to live? The effects of choosing to spend so much time with technology are yet to be fully played out and will become more fully evident as these younger people age.

296. Life is a cycle and our age is just a part of a cycle that we address according to our Livingness. Adjustments are or should be all about evolution no matter what the cycle.

297. Esoteric Women’s Heath and Women’s Well Being are the most brilliant ‘dusters’, if we ever find we need one (just incase of a little shelf sitting). These forums are understanding, open, real, supportive and loving, what’s more they are absolutely evolutionary in what is offered by presentations and lived reflection that there is another way, a way to live that we can re-connect to our inner essence and beauty at any stage and age of our lives.

298. At any age and point in life we can choose to either be on the shelf or embrace life. I look at my childhood and see how much I chose to be on the shelf. It may be more common in older age, but it happens at all ages.

299. It is less ‘stepping aside to make way for the younger generation’ than much more getting self out of the way and embrace the spaciousness and greater riches of life on offer.

     1. I love that this blog and the many comments (as well as other books, articles, and blogs) are getting onto breaking the bond of this consciousness of ‘down-hill old age’. The only way in which the elderly years are down-hill is that as one lives more and more connected and from themselves the energy of struggle disappears and there is more ‘flow’ to life and so it appears ‘easier’ (downhill!) ‘Old age’ is a time where evolution is at one’s fingertips and this is a very beautiful time. I am embracing it full-on and loving it.

        1. The words, ‘as one lives more and more connected and from themselves the energy of struggle disappears and there is more ‘flow’ to life and so it appears ‘easier’ (downhill!) are a spot on description of how it has been for me too.

     2. Well said Alex. You have expressed the very movement needed – a movement which does not follow the sabotaging story plot of the ‘peaks and troughs’ embedded into the psyches go men over the ages.  The true movement is to say ‘yes’ to brotherhood and exit the insane game of the ‘story’.

300. This is a very timely offering. Thank you, ladies. In the last few months, I noticed how quickly I started to look my age, and I would be lying if I said I have no problem with that at all. What is coming up for me is the fact that I am feeling slightly challenged when it comes to accepting and appreciating the whole of me, and I am actually bothered by how I look. It feels like this unease partly comes from the fact that there is maturity to be accepted and appreciated, that I do have something worth sharing with the world, and there is a deeper level of appreciation I can go to and I am holding back from that.

     1. Hello, Fumiyo, I have found going to a deeper level of appreciation of the whole of oneself and not taking the innate qualities we all hold so much for granted is key to being more accepting of the ageing process you are currently observing in your body. Another is letting go of the ideals of perfection and realising that what society educates us to think beauty is is so undervaluing of a person’s inner-beauty.

301. ‘gorgeous thing being that we actually start to feel younger, realising how much we still have to learn and losing the pressure of needing to look like we have all the answers.’ – I love this – accepting that we are forever learning and unfolding back to the grandness that we all are.

302. Pingback: Growing Old Beautifully and Looking Back with Understanding – The Truth about Serge Benhayon

303. Engagement and interaction with life with a knowing of the quality and grace we bring keeps us embracing life, whatever our age.

304. I’ve experienced something similar Jane in my work with groups in their thirties and forties who admit they took on public sector roles because of the pension: retirement income the goal rather than living fully and serving in the present. And now working in the ‘retirement’ industry, I witness the results of ‘decades of counting pay packets’ there is a sense of wasted lives and now the future has arrived, a dread of what is to come.

305. People live life like being on a treadmill that never stops until we wear out and are put on the shelf. Being retired is in itself, a treadmill to dispose of the worn-out bodies. I have always liked the phrase; that when you find a job, you love, you will never work again.

     1. Such an awesome phrase – when you find a job you love, you will never work again.

306. Some women from their fifties on-wards begin to describe themselves as ‘invisible’: not seen or appreciated by others.. Could it be that lack of connection to and appreciation of self is mirrored in how others relate to us. If we remain invisible to ourselves, not treasured, respected and adored, then this is what we bring to the world. To claim ourselves as beautiful elder women and embrace our innate wisdom, it is with grace we walk and others will feel and be healed by what we bring.

307. I live and work with someone very similar as your nan. It’s inspiring to be in relationship with another in their eighth decade that has not given up, and fully appreciates what each day has to offer.

308. In avoiding the quality aging brings to our lives we in fact avoid the evolution this could bring by the lived experience we have accumulated in our body. When we are able to without any judgement read that, we can learn so much of it and stop the perpetuation of the movements that are holding us back from moving with the evolving cycles that are continuously on offer for us.

309. I have often encountered quite elderly ladies serving in one of our biggest department stores here in Australia and it is nearly always a joy to have an exchange with them – because of a certain gentleness but also they have considerable experience in dealing with life and their job. I have of course had brilliant service with young retail assistants, especially with the latest jeans, but it is still great to have women of all ages there to interact with.

310. I love the freedom that I have felt dressing for me, without the any external interference of what I think/or anyone else thinks I should wear.

311. ‘That we should gracefully step aside to make way for the younger generation.’ I am more and more aware how with my lived experience and the grace of my age I support younger people to find their way, allow them to be themselves and to feel their value as I am embracing my value.

312. What shines out here is age is not what counts, purpose and commitment and our quality of being are what is most important, then there is no shelf life or age of maturity.

313. I think it’s great to realise if we’ve put ourself on the shelf regardless of age as well – we may have withdrawn due to a perceived failure or feeling hurt about something but by withdrawing we only hurt ourselves more and no matter how badly something goes or looks like it’s failed there is always something we can learn from it and we shouldn’t write ourselves off.

314. As I get older I’m definitely aware that I have more to give back, I love the feeling that there is a job for all of us here and it actually gets more rather than less as we get older.

315. This is so confirming to read Susan… I have always felt young at heart too but judged myself as being naive and ‘needing to grow up’ because of this… not any more, thank you 🙂

316. I feel as young as I ever have, but I now look back at my life as I feel my body each day and have to say I regret the way I treated my body for the first 40 odd years of my life. I was in total disregard of this gift of my body and can’t help but wonder how great I would feel without the broken bones, torn ligaments, all the alcohol abuse, the list is kind of endless. Don’t get me wrong I still feel pretty good but next time I’m going to look after myself so I can enjoy my elder years even more.

317. I remember some years ago a beautiful women sharing with me that as she aged she felt herself expanding and the joy I felt from her as she shared this has stayed with me. I no longer see aging as something negative, I appreciate the qualities it brings as I am fortunate to see so many women and men embracing their older years.

318. “On the shelf or embracing life”, is a statement, not a question!

319. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from those who are older is that life isn’t about achieving, for everything is within and in the amazing presence of an elder I can feel this fact, by the look in their eyes.

320. ‘Deal with our stuff, connect with openess and honesty with other women of all ages and thus we cut the old consciousness that has ruled women for aeons, keeping us in separation from our true authority, power and exquisite stillness, sacredness, delicateness and vulnerability.’ – this is so gorgeous, Stephanie. The power lies equally with us all, to support ourselves and each other by living with an open-ness and commitment to share the truth of how we feel with each other, always, no pretending, or avoiding ….. rather a commitment to let go of what doesn’t belong, the false beliefs that we have taken on, to expose and allow more space for the beauty that lies within us all.

321. ‘This leaves us much more open, curious and appreciative of the ongoing and endless discoveries life offers. There is an acceptance that introduces humility, a life-enriching quality that allows us to view the world and our place and purpose in it with a sense of the bigger picture and the joy of our equality.’ …. this is so beautiful to read and feel. It’s like lifting a self imposed weight off our self-worth in the context of where we sit in society as we age. There is no reason for us to feel any different in our selves and our appreciation of all that we are whether we are 6, 36 or 60. We are still the same divine being at 60 with the added bonus of a wealth of life experience to share and support others with.

322. Understanding the truth and bigger picture of reincarnation hugely assists in the embracing of this elder phase of life. I have found it to be the most beautiful time of life, now knowing my purpose and why we are here – and knowing that we will all be back until every last one of us has said yes to the Love that we are and we have returned to our Heavenly Home.

323. You two ladies make ageing sound very appealing. If we all had that attitude, the elderly may not be viewed in the undervalued way they currently are. I have also felt that I am blossoming as I get older and I love being more free from the pressure to look and act a certain way. Letting go of this allows you to get to know the real you and how much you have to offer back to the community.

324. If we continue to put the truth of what we feel ‘on the back burner’ and postpone the bright future we could live today, it’s our evolution and joy we put on the shelf indefinitely. There is no better day or more suitable time to say YES to Love. Thank you Mathilda and Judy for the reminder.

325. A close relative of mine worked until his 75th with so much joy and the feeling of having his place in the world. He never considered himself old or too old, he just appreciated in detail what he could offer and he shared that abundantly. A joy to witness this.

326. I love that this article has been written by two women across different sides of the planet – it shows a level of co-operation that many could use as a role model, and we can all be inspired by the ‘Elder Energy’ and pure joy of living that comes through in their words.

327. The thing is we don’t just retire from a job, we retire retire from daily contact with friends and colleagues and working together. This is a huge shift that, when we consider the importance of these networks for both mental and physical health I would also say the same Jane; maybe we need to change the pace or even type of work when we are older, but, that doesn’t mean we need to ‘retire from life’.

328. I had a moment today where I realised I was 6 months away from turning 50 and it brought tears to my eyes. Not because I was aging but tears of joy for what I am now living and embracing in my life. A very magical moment.

     1. How cool is that. Lived appreciation rather than resignation and giving up… inspired, thank you, Leigh.

329. I went to a 70th birthday party on the weekend and witnessed the beauty of what is shared here in this article. The grace, wisdom and absolute freedom to be ones self that these elders connected with was beautiful to be apart of.

330. There are those who love the work they do, and so why give this up just because they turn a certain age?
     Often people give up once they retire believing they have no purpose anymore… which as presented here is a complete fallacy.

331. With our focus on youthfulness it is like we are trying to avoid the inevitable – we all age, get older and die! Staying ‘youthful’ won’t change this fact of life.

     1. It certainly doesn’t. To me it’s a waste of energy that could be better used elsewhere embracing all the opportunities that life presents us to connect more deeply to the inner wisdom each of us, without exception, has.

332. These are wise words, ladies, reminding us not to dismiss or overlook the grandness and grace of each other in the fast pace lives we can get caught up in.

     1. I love the word ‘grace’ thank you, Janet. It describes a quality innate in us all, that when lived inspires and heals many.

333. I often have to remind myself how old as I am, as I dont consider myself to be getting ‘older’ apart from when my body shows and gives me signs that its not as young as it was! But what I do deeply appreciate and love about my elder years is that I feel steadier, more confident with who I am, and am no longer caught up in pleasing others either with how I look or what I do. We all have such a wonderful opportunity in these ‘autumn’ years to share our lived experiences, that can support and inspire our younger generations, and we absolutely do have a wealth of them to share.

     1. Yes the feeling steadier and more confident as to who we are is awesome to experience and appreciate. We have so much to share with everyone – especially when we have opportunities to mentor and support younger people.

334. I live and work in a community of elders in their seventies, eighties and nineties. it has been a great school of learning as I observe how elders respond to this part of their lives. Mostly women, here alone, their husbands passed over, learning to live and be here for themselves. This new constellation can be challenging for some, yet accepted by others as an opportunity to explore and expand in new ways.

     1. This aspect of ageing is something I’ve not spend much time considering, Kehinde, however it more often that not is what older women end up facing – an opportunity to learn more about themselves and their inner qualities as they step forward in life without their partners.

        1. Beautifully said Judith, ‘an opportunity to learn more about themselves and their inner qualities as they step forward in life without their partners.” I know some women when their husbands die, stop cooking and say ‘there’s no point’ completely rejecting their own personal worth, instead they will buy ready meals or eat out. .If we move through loss and grief, and slowly learn to walk again it’s possible to find new meaning and begin to live again for ourselves.

335. A beautiful and important sharing on the wisdom and beauty of ageing with a true appreciation for the youthful gaiety and joy of ageing with a freedom and responsibility that is very purposeful and true.

336. We don’t need to be old to park ourselves on the self. There are rising numbers that at even a young age that have resigned themselves to a shelf and given up. Could this be from them believing they have already lost everything? Is the knock-on effect of giving up evident in the numbers that opt for using the reset button and taking the shortcut to reincarnation?

     1. I would say many young people are feeling this way and it could be behind many of their disregarding choices of behaviour – a subconscious ‘live hard and die young’ approach that is underpinning the way of living of an increasingly larger group of young adults.

337. When we focus on our age and liking or not liking how old we are or are coming to, we completely deny the opportunity to work with the no.s, through the representation and meaning of them to assist us through that stage into the next year and cycle of life.

338. Lovely to hear what you have been experiencing, Shirley-Ann. I’m finding what I’m feeling on the inside shines out in my face as well which then prompts me to more deeply appreciate what is happening.

339. I have been on workshops where we have been invited to gather in groups according to the decade we are in our cycle of our life, to connect with one another with a view of discussing and appreciating our observations and insights as a group, and then to offer a summary to the wider group. Each time I have found the shared wisdom and insights shared by each group immensely healing and inspiring regardless of whether they were younger or older than me.
     We have so much to offer one another and the idea that anyone has less value and needs to be on the shelf has no truth to it whatsoever.

340. ‘Whilst gripping youth so ardently (seen so clearly in the celebrity world), is humanity as a whole avoiding the responsibility and balance of embracing growing old and the steadiness and deep understanding of life that these years hold?’ – Indeed we are, avoiving the responsibility as well as dismissing the significant quality and sheer gold that the elder years are offering to us all.

     1. Yes it does seem that the putting so much energy and effort into looking young in the celebrity world serves as a very public way of showing us that most people misunderstand and underestimate what is on offer when we embrace what being an elder actually means. I feel they are in reaction to the way most of society places this life-wise group of people on the shelf and starts sidelining them. Something a celebrity never wants to happen!

341. Totally girls! Gripping ardently to youth (or indeed anything) produces a hardness and desperation in the body which quickly closes down the woman’s sacredness and true beauty .. . and then leads yo drastic moves to plastic surgery and other chemical remedies. Plastic surgery obviously has its place in the scheme of things and can be very helpful in certain circumstances, but to use it to wipe away the lines of age it feels a very sad (but understandable) thing.

342. It is true that at 61 I am enjoying life more than ever, working (running 2 companies and doing a lot of voluntary work) more than ever (7 days a week), having more fun than ever, feeling younger and liberated, learning heaps of new things especially around social media and marketing and as for my love life – well that too is stratospherically better than ever. I thought the 50s were great but wait until you get to the 60s.

     1. Very inspiring all round, Nicola!

343. While our youth is deeply important, our elders have the wealth of lived experiences to share with us, and the responsibility for raising our young to be the responsible and wise adults we know they can be.

     1. Yes our elder play a very important part in raising our young as do all others no matter what their age, Rebecca. There are increasingly numbers of quite wise and responsible younger people who can add the mix quite beautifully at times when they are given the space to do so.

344. It is really inspiring witnessing people who are fully embracing life with joy, vitality and love of people regardless of their age. So clearly exposed that the various myths, ideas and beliefs we limit ourselves with are empty and meaningless.

     1. I so agree, Golnaz. We have the chance to embrace life fully at any age. It’s all a matter of what we align ourselves to, as well as incrementally becoming more aware of and freeing ourselves of the old paradigms people lived based on the current myths and beliefs that society has been championing e.g. the ‘ideal man’ or the ‘ideal woman’ along with numerous others.

345. Quality of contribution to society is not measured in age, but in lived consistency. I love spending time with some of the elders I know and listening to all the wisdom they have to share.

     1. Spot on, Michael. Lived consistency is the key no matter what age we are.

     2. And in so doing Michael, you complete the blessing that is true community, as you offer your qualities and wisdom back.

346. Great contribution, thank you. The youth and celebrity cult plus people living propped up with enormous loads of medication and not really being themselves any longer has led to a big rift in a society where the elders are conveniently pushed aside and at times, denigrated and abused. You paint a very different picture here, the new (albeit old) normal, a life lived fully to the end.

     1. Your use of the words ‘youth and celebrity cult’ are very apt for how society has been choosing to go, Gabriele. This way of choosing to live has such a HUGE following and it has come at such a great cost to humanity and their well-being.

347. At a Womens group last year, we were asked to be in smaller groups of our the same age to discuss various aspects experienced at that age. It was amazing to be aware of how the similar issues continued throughout the various age groups only from a different flavour as the years progressed.

     What was revealed – the women in the 60’s and 70’s groups still experience these issues, only there was a far deeper sense of re-connection with the body, less attachment to outcomes and a joy in living and dealing with ongoing life experiences.

     A beautiful realisation for all, that being older offers the opportunity to live more of the innermost grace and wisdom AND that there is absolutely NO reason for women to wait until in their 60’s and 70’s to do so!

     Deal with our stuff, connect with openess and honesty with other women of all ages and thus we cut the old consciousness that has ruled women for aeons, keeping us in separation from our true authority, power and exquisite stillness, sacredness, delicateness and vulnerability.

     1. I feel every woman on the earth would enjoy being freed by having the current consciousness cut this way so they are supported back to more fully living with ‘true authority, power and exquisite stillness, sacredness, delicateness and vulnerability’, Stephanie. This way of living is available to everyone, no matter what their age.

        1. I agree Judith – the day with the various women’s age groups was deeply inspiring and exposing of just how much this false and very controlling consciousness has been and continues to run through generations of girls and women of all ages. The beauty being that the Way of The Livingess is innate and so natural to all, whatever the age or gender– by choosing to re-connect with our body through conscious presence, we can then make different choices to initiate the return to our essence whether young or of more mature years!

348. It has been interesting to see some uncles and aunties come to a stage in there lives where they retire and how they slowly but steadily started to shut down and deteriorate. When we give up on ourselves and believe we have nothing to offer then it is only natural for the body to represent this also.

     1. It seems that giving up on oneself after retirement is a killer in more ways than one, Natalie. The enjoyment of feeling purposeful goes and you often can see the person fading away from you in front of your eyes.

349. Our age does not matter, it is how we feel about ourselves that matters.

350. We spend our life; building shelf’s to put memories on. Do we reach a point where we just look back and become just another object on a shelf. Life should always be an adventure and never just a destination.

     1. A great question and one well worth pondering on. ‘Do we reach a point where we just look back and become just another object on a shelf?’

351. Although I know some really wise young people, there is nothing quite like getting some exquisite pieces of advice from older people whose lived experience just needs to be shared.

     1. Absolutely. And when that advice is true you can feel that it is delivered with such a different energy. There is a beholding truth to it; free from drive, need, ambition and self. It’s very unique and needs to be treasured and appreciated for society is sorely missing that stillness and wisdom.

352. I love blogs like these, hardly anywhere can you find this type of quality yet what I have read just now I know deep down the whole of humanity are thirsty for. Just Gorgeous Matilda and Judy – Thank you.

353. The concept of when getting older to slowly retract from life is to me a false concept. In fact it is only the body that wears out and shows the signs of ageing, but inside, we are still the same in essence as when we where born. So why don’t we live that with respect and appreciation of our aging body that holds so much wisdom and lived life experience to be shared with whoever we meet?

     1. Respecting and appreciating people who have lived longer for all the wisdom and experience they have to offer to others would benefit both young and old. It would also help eliminate the belief system that sees people slowly retracting away from life, as they become older, because they don’t value themselves and what they have to offer and nor does society on the whole either.

        1. And that is actually what we see so much in our societies nowadays, that people retract from life which for many already starts at a young age. Perhaps because they got disappointed about what life is showing them to be. Maybe there is a relationship between this tendency and the fast growing numbers of people developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

354. “We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.” Such inspirational words … they need to be shared throughout our communities worldwide! Perhaps then there would be no dementia, no giving up on ourselves and life… and a true purpose and commitment to all of humanity.

355. As our bodies grow older, there is a feeling that the being in the body is still young and wise. Accepting the mortal body and focusing on our lovely self without bogging down in looks of the body brings us the gift of being ‘forever young’.

     1. ‘Forever young’, forever youthful and forever learning… the truth of our essence which then inspires me to cherish the body that is beholding it for now.

     2. I can testify to that – the being never grows old but remains forever young. Well said Haresh.

356. ‘With our attention and attachment to youthfulness, are we resisting the natural cycles of life and the richness they hold, disregarding and undervaluing all that is on offer from our elders and their lived experience?’ – it’s as though we ‘think’ we know better, valuing what we perceive to be more valuable …. but where do these beliefs come from and how well are they truly serving us all as a community?

357. ‘There is enormous fun to be had with this as we first accept the liberation and then the simplicity of the responsibility on offer to support and mentor others, sharing what we have learnt along the way.’ – the joy in returning to and living the truth of who we are and sharing our grace and wisdom with everyone.

     1. I really love the word grace… it inspires me to embrace more and more the true qualities of being a woman and then there is the added bonus I feel that comes with the space of being an elder.

358. No matter the age we are in it reflects us something, a number that we can be open to and so appreciate what we are here to bring and appreciate ourselves in in life. Age is nothing less or more than a beautiful truth and support of unfolding our way…

359. Without having to maintain the pressures of holding onto our youthful looks, Ageing allows us to really appreciate and share the abundance within.

360. ‘…released from the false worries about fitting in…’ If I’m honest, this is one of the things about getting older that I’m really looking forward to, feeling comfortable with not fitting the mould. On one hand I feel it’s a bit silly to look forward to something that I have absolutely no reason in the world to not start activating right now, but on the other, I can feel how little society cares about the community once they hit the 50+ mark, and so all of a sudden, you’re somewhat free from expectation to be part of the herd. Sad, but true.

     1. Actually I feel there’s still a general expectation for people over 50+ to join the other herd – the ‘no longer young and useful’ one, however, an increasing number of people are seeing through this game and not playing by the rules that society tries to impose. The people who break free from the old way are the ones who have connected with their inner wisdom and know the old way is a load of balderdash. That really is breaking the mould and it is very freeing to do so.

361. It was lovely to read your discoveries around aging. In a group of women recently we discussed aging in relation to body image. There is something deliberate in our obsession with youth, that undermines and ignores the potential wisdom of our elders. This focus on youth means that society doesn’t value one of its great resources but also the elders do not value themselves or see the opportunity for them to give back the community.

     1. I agree, Fiona. Society as a whole is all the poorer because of this ‘something deliberate in our obsession with youth, that undermines and ignores the potential wisdom of our elders.’

362. It is amazing to grow old with the wisdom that you are sharing Judith and Matilda, and may I add that we are never to old to learn so as a humble student I ammm for-ever-open to learning.

     1. That is important to appreciate to Greg. We might think at a certain age we know everything about life but that is not true. Every day gives us an opportunity to learn, not matter our age.

        1. How can we possibly ever know everything when everything is always changing?

        2. Or how many times we have incarnated, as each life provides more evolution (expanding or going forward, forever deepening our connection)

        3. The student of life approach is something that keeps us vital.

        4. Spot on James, ignorance of what is a glaring example of our wayward ways does naught toward our evolutionary path back to love.

     2. So true Greg and a real joy to know that no matter what age I am I am never too old to learn an embrace life more and more. Knowing that as I grow older does not have to be the decrepid end I used to think it was means I no longer fear or dread my old age but rather can and will enjoy it.

        1. Spot-on James, and may I add that retiring goes out the window and looking forward to passing-over boomerangs back in through the window so death is looked forward tooooo!

        2. That is so cool Greg. The whole retirement and going travelling or ending up in nursing never seemed like a great thing to do. The travelling yes it can be fun especially at first but I find after a while it loses its purpose and well, I don’t need to go into the nursing home scenario!

        3. When I was around 20 I thought golf would become my sporting pursuit and then finally when I could not walk so much that I would play lawn bowls into my twilight years. Now with a deeper understanding of how our incarnations work and the vitality I now have towards working with the Love that it brings to what I am doing retirement has blown out the window.

        4. I love that Greg – it is interesting how we all seemed to grow up with pictures about how our old age and retirement would look like! As you ellude to what if our later years, well our whole life, prepare us for our next incarnation and so the more love we are living now the more love we will return to. It changes the whole meaning and purpose of life.

        5. So True James, Love is the key to evolution for life times, so nurture and Be-Loving to prepare for the future.

        6. Preparing for the future completely changes our outlook on life. It also brings a responsibility to commit to what we know is truth and love now so then the future can be with us now rather than in the eternal delay and waiting for it without actually making any changes.

        7. No need to drag the chain or put the anchor down too early, as death becomes a friend who will hold all we live, so when that is Love live it now, as you have shared James.

        8. Beautiful Greg, yes live the Love we are now, why wait and why ever give up on it.

        9. And even when we do not full-fill our Love quotient we are learning where our openings are that keep us distracted from the true love we all come from.

        10. And then we can seal these openings. I have found the more love I choose to live in my life the more I get to see and expose these openings and instead of beating myself, see them as an opportunity to deepen my love. Otherwise if I had not seen them, before I would walk around ignorant of them and seemingly unaware of the loveless choices I am making.

363. Spot on Jane, and for me in my personal experience, and being in my mid 40’s, I feel more alive today than I did 10-15 years ago! And to know this is not the end either, as it is about a constant growth, and a constant openness to life and people and the opportunities on offer.

364. Feeling old does not really relate to age as such. One can be very young and yet feel older than ones years in terms of an inner wisdom, and like wise we can also be older and yet feel as young as a spring chicken. A lot of it is perception, and yes we do have actual years and the physical body that ages and shows the ageing but this is not the thing that determines age alone. I know many people who are well into their 60’s 70’s and even 80’s that appear 10-15 years younger in terms of their approach to life, their vitality and their sparkle and love for life. For myself, as I have grown older (and am now in my mid forties) in many ways I have felt like I am getting more beautiful, more confident, more alive than I ever have been before…and it is the feeling inside that I feel is more important than the number of our age based upon time.

     1. Yes, the vitality, sparkle and love for life that people who are well into their 60’s, 70′ and 80’s is really something to see and feel. How we feel inside is what really counts and continues to do so, no matter what age a person reaches.

365. Thank you Julie and Matilda for a gorgeous blog on ageing – or rather on growing younger as one grows older! Our society does have a tendency to want to ‘shelve’ the elderly or those past a certain age, as if they have gone past the ‘use by date’ but in fact that happens when people are not valuing the beauty of what is on offer, the wisdom of the years and the fact that so many elderly can show the grace of ageing and how much they have to offer. Sadly not everyone sees ageing in this way, and so many will and do succumb to the being shelved attitude that is so predominant in our society, but it is time to change this and bring back alive those things things that we truly value – our inner wisdom which never ages or reaches a used by date, but in fact grows more in depth and value with time.

     1. I love this: ‘our inner wisdom which never ages or reaches a used by date’ – a quote that inspires me to stay aware of the fact that the opportunity to learn never stops and that what I love today will be richer and deeper tomorrow, if I stay open to all that is offer.

366. All stages of life are beautiful, from young to old. As a society we have glamourised youth and made it superficially into something that it is not– and something to be eternally yearned for. And we have attempted to diminish the glory of elder years, when in fact they are a time of immense power and beauty.

     1. You’ve put it in a nutshell, Jenny. That is just how society presents the different ages to be. I feel very fortunate to be able to be living in a way , along with many others, that shows these beliefs are simply not true.

367. Our attachment to being an age or our attempts to avoid being of another age is an interesting one. The thinking that younger is better doesn’t make sense. I hear people say…”don’t get old”. But is that really about getting old or are they saying something else like. “Watch the choices you make, they can age you faster than others”. I wonder too if the reason why we don’t like getting older is the knowing that death will arrive sooner rather than later. The truth there is that death can arrive at any time, without any dependance on any age group at all. However for most of us in western countries we do often enjoy a longer life into our elder years, so we try and live in ways where we avoid, don’t talk about what this means to us. It can be such a rich time of life where we can remain dedicated to community and live every moment of our life until our last breath.

     1. Spot on Jennifer, I also feel to work until my last breath in what-ever capacity that involves.

368. There are so many gems in this blog. Very beautiful to ask the question whether holding onto youthfulness is actually an case of irresponsiblilty and not just one of not wanting to be in an older body. An older body exposes the consequences of our choices and that is what we do not like.

     1. You’ve got it in one, Joshua. ‘An older body exposes the consequences of our choices and that is what we do not like.’ Humanity as a whole doesn’t like facing and accepting what the fallout of their choices ends up being.
        Experience is a great teacher; no matter how hard we try, no one can outrun what happens to their body because of how they have previously chosen to live.

369. Judy, I love this; ‘unashamed and without shyness we can go for it, sharing our experience, wisdom and observations without reservation.’ This feels so freeing and very natural, it feels great to express without holding back and without concern of what people may say or think – very beautiful.

370. Whatever we do, I find being committed is what makes it most fun, and life is no exception.

371. Many older women, and some men, try to conceal their age by various means, but there is a beauty and a richness in embracing and living all that we are.

     1. There truly is ‘a beauty and a richness in embracing and living all that we are’, Joan – beautifully said. No matter what our age, no matter what our culture, class, sex or ethnicity, living all that we are is what brings forth our natural beauty and grace for all to witness. When we allow our loveliness to shine forth from within we glow with a beauty that is age defying.

372. I used to get a lot of male attention in my twenties and thirties and this has definitely died down now that I am in my forties. It is an interesting observation revealing how much we still go by looks, because the truth is that I am more loving, joyful, full of life and purpose than ever before!

     1. This is such a mirror of how much of society currently regards women based on surface appearances, rather than looking more deeply and connecting to the qualities of the inner being. Men would experience a version of this towards them also I’m sure.
        It really pays to ‘get to know a person’ rather than going by such a superficial benchmark as visual appearance – something that changes as a person ages.

373. The myths about ageing damn us all, like putting an old horse out to pasture. We all age on a daily basis, no-one is exempt, and keeping working, involved in our communities and active means we can stay well and healthy whatever age we are.

374. It seems easy to slide into the resignation of growing old and the beliefs held around this but your blog Judy and Matilda bring a freshness and aliveness to how it can embraced for all it can offer and serve others. Thank you.

375. I love what some people have shared in that when we embrace aging we embrace the wisdom of ourselves and others when we fight it we confirm that aging is not the desired route and furthermore we seek to stay young. What if we ignored age and focused on quality and wisdom?

376. Unfortunately ‘dismissing our elders’ has become a matter of course but I can’t help but wonder if many of our elders have been dismissed by themselves first? It wouldn’t be possible to dismiss either Judy or Matilda because both women are brimming over with the glory of who they know themselves to be.

     1. Hear, hear, Alexis. It’s the old chicken or egg question isn’t it? Indeed, how many of our elders have been dismissed by themselves first? And when did this dismissing of self first start to creep in, and why?

        1. Unfortunately the dismissing of ourselves for many of us, starts in childhood but that then brings back the ‘old chicken or egg’ question that you referred to Brigette, as we are compelled to ask ‘do kids dismiss themselves first or do adults dismiss them simply because they’re kids?’.

377. Accepting with grace the passing of the years and not fighting to stay younger allows us to feel a new lease for life. My face and body reveal signs of the passing years but as we embrace our inner beauty we continue to sparkle and shine knowing the importance of our inner beauty, and our capacity to enjoy life fully right to our last breath.

     1. Yes. It’s feel awesome to embrace our inner beauty and continue to sparkle and shine as we age; truly something to treasure until the end of our lives.

378. It’s curious how we spend our younger years enthusiastically learning and training if different areas, as we approach middle age we generally know that we have ‘wisdom’ to share, so why then do we suddenly allow ourselves believe we are of little value when we are old – what suddenly changed, other than our choice to accept a belief that is in fact completely false?

     1. ‘What suddenly changed, other than our choice to accept a belief that is in fact completely false?’ You’ve nailed it, Alison!

379. ‘With our attention and attachment to youthfulness, are we resisting the natural cycles of life and the richness they hold, disregarding and undervaluing all that is on offer from our elders and their lived experience?’ – absolutely, as a society, it seems we place value on how we ‘look’ on the outside rather than appreciating the wisdom and magic that we all hold within.

380. I love this part of the blog it says so much too me
     “There is enormous fun to be had with this as we first accept the liberation and then the simplicity of the responsibility on offer to support and mentor others, sharing what we have learnt along the way.”
     It’s the fun bit that I resonate to, is it possible that many of us have seemingly lost our sense of fun? I want to use another word for fun … ‘ joy’ I know I lost all my joy, life became very serious, no laughing matter.
     I feel that if we can regain that sense of joy we had as children, you know, when you woke up in the morning on the school holidays with the whole day stretched before you just waiting to be enjoyed because it’s a new day with new opportunities to be explored.
     So my question to humanity is this
     “What is it about the way we are living today that drains this vitality that we naturally have as children in great abundance? Why do we end up instead full of ideals and beliefs that crush our joy of life?

     1. Yes. Feeling Joy is key to the quality of life we have and it is sorely missed when it’s not there.

381. So much of the negative conurtations of getting older lie in society not appreciating the role and wisdom on our elders. As stark contrast can be seen in other cultures where this is very different such as native American Indians where it is elders who are highly respected and valued – so much can be learnt from this.

     1. Yes there’s quite a contrast when you look at how people living in different cultures value and regard their elders.

382. “….realising how much we still have to learn and losing the pressure of needing to look like we have all the answers. This leaves us much more open, curious and appreciative…” agree, and also humble too. It’s why many younger people adore being with those who are older in years because, and as i’ve found in myself, you start to lose the endless trying and perfection you had of younger years….. Loosing perfection and the trying can take years off a face and many elder people can have this glow. It’s not the age per se i feel that gives youthfulness but the quality of how life is being lived.

     1. This was a turning point for me. It really takes a weight off one’s shoulders and gives life a boost when we wake up to the fact that striving for perfection is very tiring and sapping of one’s energy and vitality.

383. “It is now our experience that our ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others.” A total game changer. How many of us blame the natural process of aging for the aches and pain suffered, when the aches and pains may actually be arising from the lack of nurturing we give to our precious, delicate bodies, a cherishing that both female and male bodies truly deserve.

     1. A great reminder, Rowena, of how important nurturing ourselves and taking tender care of our bodies is. No one enjoys experiencing aches and pains.

384. I know of a 70 year old manager who is a very young 70 and was still running his place of work very well with the years of experience behind him, but they unfortunately made his position no longer a position and put this workplace under new management. He was utterly devastated and now his once place of work is run without care. No matter what angle I look at it I can’t see the sense in it. It feels such a shame.

385. There is a multinational retail company, this family run organization is the worlds largest company by revenue and the largest private employer in the world with over 2.3 million employees. They hire retired people to greet customers as they enter their stores.

     1. How awesome to hear of this valuing of retired people. Being greeted by an elder as one enters the store – I’d love to experience that personal touch to what can so often be a soulless experience.

386. Our love is ageless, as is our willingness to either express this love or withhold it.

387. I look forward to growing older, and bringing in the wisdom I have access to and my lived experience to offer true riches to all.

388. Such an inspiring blog to read Ladies… this totally turns society’s current ideals and beliefs about ageing on its head! We each have so much to offer one another right up until our last breath.

     1. Agreed, Paula… our commitment to life can go on developing until our last breath… I love this endless potential for expansion.

389. With a change of perception and an absence of belief that come about age we can feel that we are of equal value to the world regardless of age. Our expression and divinity are ageless, as is the need to be all we are in the world continually needed.

     1. We are indeed ageless and of equal value to another – no more, no less just expressing with our own unique ‘flavour’.

390. In our current youth obsessed culture so many appear reluctant to mature and start taking responsibility for their own lives. Elders have so much to offer in this respect and it is awesome that we have blogs like this to reflect to society that it is perfectly possible to continue embracing life until our last breath and there is no need to retire or take a step back from actively engaging with all life has to offer.

391. “If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others.” Even when we get to the bleakest depths of winter and are about to pass-over we can have an awareness that will deliver amazing wisdom and this should be heralded so that on our death-bed we are not condemned but praised for our revelations. Then at passing we are held in our glory and not dismissed as a raving …… And is this not what we will take into our next incarnation??

392. This blog is a great example how we can keep and even increase our vitality and vibrancy into old age. It is quite an experience to have the vitality of a young person even when you are accumulating more and more years.

393. Judy and Matilda this is so incredibly beautiful, my body feels deeply touched by the grace of what you have shared.

394. Very beautiful piece on becoming an elder and the responsibility that this holds, which is so much more in depth and lovely than perhaps is widely understood to be the case.

395. Thanks for busting many illusions in this blog, including the belief that at some undefined, certain age, we suddenly ‘get it’ and are empowered with a whole new level of understanding about ourselves and life. We can access this wisdom at any age – it’s not related to how many years we’ve been on the planet, our experience of this or that – and never too late to connect more deeply to who we are, and our purpose.

     1. Wisdom is an inner quality we all hold, so age really isn’t the determiner of when one can access it. I have found and observed in others that it’s how we choose to live and the quality of connection we enjoy with ourselves and others that makes the difference.

396. Could the common fear of ageing in our society be a sign that we are in fact afraid of taking responsibility?

     1. That’s a great question for everyone to consider no matter what their age.

     2. Holy moly! Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, it would seem you have caught society with their hand in the cookie jar, chanly88.

397. If unaffected by the imposition of the images all around us we can see the true beauty in aging and elders. Beauty does not depend on the lack of wrinkles or the firmness of a body, it is in the way we hold ourselves and often in growing older we become more surrendered and more self-accepting as the need to live up to those imposed images falls away.

     1. The sayings; ‘Beauty is only skin deep’ and ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ show we all know that In focussing solely on the physical appearance of a body, the depth of true inner beauty of a person can be, and often is, overlooked. Society is all the poorer when this is the accepted way of regarding people and especially when the factor of ageing is added.

398. Hear hear, there is much to be learned from the elders in our society. Even just in the work force there is much wisdom and valuable experience lost by striving to get young people that seemingly cost less. Seemingly because the value we loose with the experience is priceless.

399. Isn’t it time that rather than feeling we have little of value to offer as elders we have in fact much to celebrate and much to offer others in our gained years?

400. To go from a sitting on the shelf kinda person to then jumping off and going for gold and embracing life to the full it can seem daunting and unachievable. A lot of the time we don’t even realise we are on the shelf. I certainly didn’t until I was introduced to the teachings of Universal Medicine and connected to the wisdom that is on offer and how we are fully apart of this Universal Wisdom. What we have to embrace is ginormous and it is a simple surrendering to it and not going out to find it.

     1. I agree that a lot of the time we aren’t even aware that the choices we are making are sidelining us and putting us on the shelf. That’s where really being conscious and present in anything I do keeps me alert to what I am choosing and I’m more likely to be aware if my attention starts to wander off from what I am actually doing; the not being on ‘automatic pilot’ or having a mind buzzing with numerous thoughts that take your attention away from what you are actually in the process of doing.

401. The fact that there is actually a term ‘on the shelf’ describes how we tend to think of ourselves as we get older. Why would we want to do this to ourselves? We can indeed choose to embrace life instead.

402. ‘…is humanity as a whole avoiding the responsibility and balance of embracing growing old and the steadiness and deep understanding of life that these years hold?’ This is such a pertinent, meaningful question to ask, Judy and Matilda! I have often pondered on the incredible drive that seems to be out there to hold on to youth at all cost, and what the true cost of doing so actually is.

403. ‘On the shelf’ is a phrase I normally associated with women who were still single at an age when most people had been already married and had their children, as in not wanted and left on the shelf. I never considered retiring, I’ve always worked so whether it be volunteering in my local community or paid work I have no intention of stopping! I even trained as a counsellor as part of my retirement plan so that even if I was crippled with arthritis I could sit in a chair and people could come and talk to me.

     1. Thanks for the reminder of how a woman was once regarded as being ‘on the shelf’ because they were unmarried. It was considered such an undesirable place to be in earlier times that I’m sure many married to escape being given this label. So much has changed since then and women can now choose to marry or not nowadays based on what she feels is best for her (depending on the culture of the country she lives in). Awesome to be able to live free of this perception – for women who enjoy this freedom in the society they live in.

404. Judy, I love this; ‘Could it be that rather than putting ourselves on the shelf as we get to a certain age, we have the amazing opportunity to serve and express ourselves more freely, released from the false worries about fitting in and what people will think about us? ‘This feels like true freedom, how very lovely to no longer be concerned about what others think of us and to simply be ourselves, expressing what feels true and what we have learnt from our lived experiences and being able to share these with others.

     1. It’s the worrying about what others think of that so boxes people in from showing the world who they truly are.

405. And that is a blessing available to anyone if they so choose, Elizabeth.

406. Literally until our last breath there are things for us to learn, to share and reflect. So the question and opportunity ‘what is next?’ never stops.

     1. Love it, Monika… there is never an ‘all done’ moment. ‘What next?’ keeps us alive and alert to all that is endlessly on offer.

407. Yes, Susan, there is so much we can offer as we become older.

408. So true, Doug. People stepping up and realising they have the responsibility of bringing the qualities and wisdom as elders to the world will send endless ripples out into society so we can all be inspired to eventually return to living each day with true purpose.

409. I agree, Alison. If our young were taught what it meant to embrace our elder years, they would have a very different understanding of life to support them throughout all the ensuing years. It would be a game-changer.

410. Ageing is not the problem, trying to hold onto eternal youth is.

     1. So true Elizabeth… when we resist where we are at and being honest with ourselves, we create enormous tension within our bodies, which is unnatural and certainly detrimental to our health – mentally, emotionally and physically.

     2. Very true, we resist accepting and appreciating ourselves for who we truly are, as we have been fed false images of how we are ‘meant’ to be, they are unattainable and destructive. Who we are meant to be is the truth of who we are.

     3. It’s this trying to hold onto eternal youth that is so lauded in the media as well. It’s everywhere you look – on screens of numerous kinds, in magazines, eternally perpetuated in movies so it’s no wonder numerous people fail to see what a big fat lie it is. This complicates what ageing is and I feel is behind many people’s choice to give up on themselves because they are aspiring for the impossible.

     4. What is eternal youth anyway? An idea, a concept, a notion, something that keeps us hankering for yesteryear when all along everything that we’ve ever wanted is contained in our relationship with the present moment.

     5. Yes, and this has nothing to do with age. It is a factor in life the majority of us ignores and neglects.

411. ‘Make way for the younger generation’…there are many disempowering beliefs around growing older that serve only to silence those who have learned great lessons along the way and would benefit the whole of society if these lessons were shared…

     1. Yes, Thomas, society is all the poorer because of the choice to ‘make way for the younger generation’ which then silences those who had much to share from their lived experience.

412. “So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders? ” I wonder if we simply blanket all of the elder generation with the same wand, the one that sees all of them checking out on drugs instead of seeing each person as an individual, each person as someone who has immense value and if we appreciate that then there would be a far higher quality of end of life for each person as we grow old and far greater riches of wisdom to be shared and not lost. It’s great to truly live to the end of life and in many ways strange that as a society we don’t have that as our normal but its taken Serge Benhayon to raise the topic for us all to explore.

     1. So much value can be overlooked when the elder generation are treated in such a blanket way of dismissing their wisdom and lived experience, rather than appreciating what they have to offer. It is wonderful that this aspect of life is starting to be looked at in another way now thanks to Serge Benhayon’s presentations.

413. Yes Elizabeth, there are so many common misconceptions surrounding our elder years. Allowing our inner wisdom to permeate all we do is definitely the way to live life throughout our years.

414. Sometimes I feel we have things back to front and that we look to those with the most recent training and qualifications for answers when the lived experience of those in our society, especially our elders, is where so much wisdom can be found.

     1. Good call, Michael. So much in the world is topsy turvy or back to front when it comes to seeing and valuing wisdom.

415. What does it tell me about the way in which another has lived that when it comes to a point in their life which they think they have worked hard for they make a choice to give up and let’s say put their feet up? As I let go of self and live my life from a purpose of connection to myself and to others whatever my age, whatever I am doing and whatever is going on around me cannot interfere with how I am feeling and my purpose. My life is lived through a commitment to self and not to external beliefs and ideals.

     1. This is a true and beautifully supportive way to live, Caroline; living with a commitment to connecting to oneself and to others while not taking on any of the external ideals and beliefs that the world presents to us on a daily basis.

416. I do not want to be a moment younger than I am because each and every moment has been another opportunity to learn more about myself and others.

     1. Your being that way also makes life feel very fulfilling, Kathleen, and is very inspiring to others I find.

417. This is such a great and needed topic to look at and communicate about. You have definitely lifted a veil here that allows us to breathe deeply and feel the fresh air that is there to be breathed our entire life long. The sweetness of life never stops, no matter what age we are, we have only made it that way, creating our own dilemmas and thus having the feeling life ends in a decline of everything.

     1. Your words, ‘The sweetness of life never stops, no matter what age we are,’ clearly outline just how much potential is on offer for everyone right up until the end of their life, Esther. How it ends up all boils down to each and every choice we make along the way.

418. Our whole attitude towards ageing does need a complete overhaul. I remember seeing a lot of my dads farming mates who retired at about 60 go completely down hill and die shortly after because they had lost their purpose in life, their work was their life and you take that away and what have you got. Oh they all had money and retired to a beautiful beach town but what is beauty without purpose.

     1. All of this you have mentioned, plus the fact that so many of the older students of Universal Medicine show quite the opposite of the trend with the older generation is society of illness, withdrawal as well as a lack of purpose and self-worth, shows that humanity needs to reassess its approach and appreciation of old age.

     2. You hear a lot of stories about people dying not long after they’ve retired, Kev. It seems to me that living with purpose to our last breath is what supports many to continue to live actively in their latter years well after retirement.

        1. Absolutely we all need purpose, whether it be grandkids, religion or whatever, without it what is the point in living, it’s just existing.

     3. I agree with you, “what is beauty without purpose”. If we are honest we can feel that we are made to work and contribute to our communities, and it has been that way for quite some time in our societies due to outer circumstances. But meanwhile so many of us live very comfortable lives and we think we can do what we want, however ignoring all the while our innate zest for life and work and engagement.

419. It is becoming clear to me that as we age, we get what we have lived. So although we may not like what we see, there is much to learn until our very last breath.

     1. Yes, we certainly get what we have lived, the great and the less great. What is amazing is how much we can add to the great at any stage in our life.

     2. That’s what most people don’t want to face up to, Gill – ‘The fact that we get what we have lived.’ It really ramps up the understanding of what responsibility truly is.

420. Such a joy reading this blog and to feel how much of life their is to live until our last breathe.

     1. Yes, there is so much life to be lived up until our last breath, Sally, when we choose to do so.

421. Time to re-write all beliefs we have about ageing. One is that when we reach a certain age we need things done for us, this essentially dis-empowers and elders become passive recipients of services. For example, elderly day care centers managed by paid staff and volunteers usually with activities organised for them, meals prepared, cooked and served. Why not change the paradigm: as long as physically able, let them decide what they want and take responsibility for how the centre runs and some of the activities. For example plan, prepare and cook a meal together and continue to learn new skills. There would be much more joy in our later years if we continued to live as full a life as possible.

     1. What you have suggested would really change things, Kehinde, and feels a more caring way to treat physically able people who attend elderly day care centres.

422. Are we the only species that retires? What if bees had a point of that is enough, I will stop now. Does being civilized stop us from culling the herd where we warehouse the elderly. Does old age become the secret elephant’s graveyard we don’t want to see or deal with? As we age we have a choice to be part of the solution or the problem.

     1. Yes, that is beautifully observed. We have the reflection everywhere in nature and yet we keep on inventing our own rules thinking we are somewhat superior and can come up with better concepts of life, all the while we are living on a planet that shows us all the grandness there is, being itself a part of a magnificent whole that we call the universe.

     2. You’re really firing on all four cylinders with these questions, Steve.

423. I can understand why so many of our older generation go into giving up basically and stepping back from life because they haven’t supported themselves lovingly and respectfully through their lives and so then are living in the lack of joy as a result. They don’t have the grace of their own love to nourish and vitalise them.

     1. Yes, Julie, the quality of life we enjoy (or not) is determined by the choices we have made in the previous years.

424. Once we become the adult in our lives we have all the freedom in the world to live our truth, we simply need to give ourselves permission. What I have observed is that we can wait until we are actually of an age that means we are the elders, so there is no one higher-up that might be ruffled. Waiting until 60 or 70 to be ourselves is a long time, and not worth the tension in my experience.

     1. So true, Sandra. Why wait? That would well and truly be worth pondering on.

        1. From experience and observation we wait for the passing of another to offer the opportunity to ponder our own situation and initiate changes, to let go of traits that aren’t serving us or anybody else. Great question: “What are we waiting”?
           As elders we have so much to offer the young so they don’t have to repeat the same cycles as we have. Lets’ call out any action that isn’t based on love and care for everyone. Why wait we are the ‘seniors’ we have the ‘authority’ lets not waste these golden opportunities.

425. There is not one person in the whole world who does not have gems of pure gold to share with others… we can constantly inspire others – we may not know how, when or why, but we all observe one another and often find inspiration in the smallest of details.

     1. Yes, Paula, there are no age limitations when we realise what you have shared.

426. If humanity honoured the wisdom of it’s elders than there would not be the incessant worry and stress about ageing and becoming older. We have created this great divide between generations by putting so much emphasis on our age. It’s interesting that when we are young we want to be older and then when we are older we want to be younger… imagine if we stepped back and saw the importance of all of us at any stage of our lives?

     1. It’s a somewhat ridiculous way of living when you describe it like this, Aimee – one that also overlooks the importance of how each person lives each age and stage of their lives. Our elder years are built upon the choices we made during our earlier years so in truth each age plays its part and is to be deeply valued.

427. Appreciation of a life lived allows us to value what we have to offer others.

     1. Appreciation is such a key factor in numerous aspects of life, Paula.

428. I am also an elderly and for me getting older is such an adventure and joy. So I also love to “embrace the confidence and freedom to dress and present ourselves without being devotees to fashion magazines and the latest ‘looks.” Yes we as older women should claim back our beauty sexiness and sacredness as they are naturally laying in every women in every age.

     1. You would be also inspiring many others by living this way, Ester.

429. Not dismissing our selves is a very important part of living as elders. If feeling dismissed/invisible it’s very worth asking where/how we are doing this to ourselves,

     1. That’s a really important point you have made, Sandra. Many choose to overlook the part they play in all of this.

430. Taking stock of what is truly important … this is something we badly need in our societies and too often we run off after the next thing and then the next. Having those who show us that life allows the space to consider, to review and that in doing so you are fully engaged in life is deeply important and this is what elders can provide us with … so more of this please, and it’s for all of us to embrace our elder within.

     1. Giving oneself the grace and space to be fully engaged in life is definitely the way to go, Monica, rather than continuously racing around chasing the next thing we think we need to do or have.

431. It’s such a curse attaching the expectation that life will finally ‘click’ with an age, career or particular achievement. I’ve certainly entertained the belief before that finishing school at 18 years old will make life SO much easier, and that’s when I’ll really focus on what I want to do, but this is an illusion because every moment counts and can be magic, and waiting for a special event delays our joy and our potential and also often leads to a disappointment when things aren’t as they seem!

     1. That is such a great example you bring Susie. How often do we say, think or wait for a moment of when, if or only, instead of living in the moment and every moment and seeing and enjoying what life is and offers right now. Why wait for the future to fulfil our wishes, to bring us what we want or all together to unfold our potential? If we know it already we can do it now.

     2. You are living proof that wisdom has no age limits on it, Susie. As you have shared, ‘Every moment counts’ no matter what our age.

     3. Yes, exactly, Susie. Every moment counts and can be magic no matter how young or old we are. There is no reason why someone in their eighties would experience the joy of being truly themselves in life any less than a teenager.

432. Getting more curious and open towards life as we age is definitely not the normal way of aging! I would say it is one of the keys to life.

     1. I so agree with what you have expressed, Vanessa.

433. I have more of an understanding of what true elder energy is now through the teachings of Universal Medicine and it is such a blessing to see elders step into this with grace and ease likewise it is gorgeous to sometimes witness in society a light heartedness, joy and youth (playfulness) emerge from older men and women .. I guess it just shows even though we are a number (age) it does not determine who we truly our .. our essence within and how this is ageless ✨

     1. Yes, Vicky, there is true joy in knowing our essence is ageless.

434. There is nothing more captivating than observing a woman who truly treasures herself, reflecting in her every movement that she knows and lives in the fullness of her own beauty.

     1. Treasuring oneself is key to the quality of life we lead and something our children are never too young to learn.

435. Something I am finally come to accept in my older years is to really treasure and appreciate every aspect of my gorgeous self. For so many years I compared myself to some unattainable ‘picture’ of what it was to be a beautiful woman and, of course, I never measured up. There were always parts of my body that I rejected and felt were ugly, not meeting the acceptable standard (goodness knows who set these spurious ‘standards). It is wonderfully liberating to feel and know my own beauty within, without needing any validation from others.

     1. Yes appreciating the beauty we all hold within is the key to letting go of the pictures we all have of what we have been led to think beauty is, Alison. Not needing validation from others is very freeing.

436. “and losing the pressure of needing to look like we have all the answers”…this is a biggie isn’t it? I think it should be declared a modern day syndrome….the “I have this all together, I got it going on, I have the answers” syndrome. It places so much pressure on all of us and also keeps us very individual as we think that we have to come up with it ourselves, and not use our collective wisdom to find the answers together (and that’s to say that there is even an answer to be found!).

     1. Love how you have coined the phrase ‘modern day syndrome’, Sarah, with its ‘I have this all together, I got it going on, I have the answers.’ It’s no wonder people are looking forward to putting their feet up when they reach retirement age with that pressure going on in their lives. All this pushing is such an unhealthy way to be living as well. Give me collective wisdom any day!

437. “In our experience of being elders, at work, in our families and amongst our community, there is a grace in accepting growing older and a huge service in taking responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society. ” what a great reflection to the rest of society – that growing old is not something to be feared and dreaded but something to be embraced for all. Very inspiring.

     1. My experience is that growing old is certainly not something to fear, DN.

438. I am appreciating how much there is to celebrate about being an older woman who is getting close to being 60. Far from feeling that I am approaching a life of being ‘on the shelf’, my life is opening up in all sorts of ways that previously i would have only associated with someone at least 20 or even 30 years younger. Our lives are in our hands, we are in the driving seat and we can continue to learn, grow and deepen our understanding and connection to the beautiful beings we are whatever our age. It is only the ideals and beliefs that we have been fed over time that can persuade us to think otherwise.

     1. I love how you have said, ‘Our lives are in our hands, we are in the driving seat and we can continue to learn, grow and deepen our understanding and connection to the beautiful beings we are whatever our age,’ Sandra. That is so true.

439. When we live a life knowing that what lies within is where the true wisdom, youth and beauty reside and that the soul within never dies we lose the fear of aging and surrender to evolution of life.

     1. Well said, Kim, and awesome to have this understanding.

440. What I have noticed myself in growing older is that I still feel the same inside and that can sometimes bring up some confusion ‘am I really aging?’ I still feel the same! This is because of repeating the same choices over and over again so it is more a feeling of not moving on. But underneath I am noticing that the only thing that is changing is my body physically and inside my wisdom and understanding of life and myself is immensely growing.

     1. Yes, it is awesome to be claiming our inner wisdom more fully and appreciating how our understanding of life keeps growing as well, Lieke. Best of all is knowing there are endless opportunities to continue doing so, every day, no matter what age we are.

441. There’s a constant and joyful job to be done – there is no such thing as retiring when we realise that it’s our ‘job’ to bring life’s experience and understanding as a role model for others.

     1. It certainly is our ‘job’ in our elder years to bring life’s experiences and understandings so we live as true role models for others, Rosanna.

442. What fun is there in life if we are constantly avoiding getting old, seeing it as a loss of the freedom and flexibility and beauty once had in our younger years. Could it be that the body is asking us to more deeply surrender to it and its limitations, also seeing that beyond the old age of it is a youthful inner beauty that never needs to fade? Our true vitality and zest for life comes from inside us not from our body itself.

     1. Great points, Joshua. ‘Our true vitality and zest for life comes from inside us not from our body itself.’ There ‘is a youthful inner beauty that never needs to fade.’ A truly graceful way to embrace ageing.

443. I spend a few hours once a week talking to mainly elderly people and I am in awe of what they naturally know and what they went through growing up in the war years, or just after the war. What comes though to me when they talk about those years is a sense of togetherness a camaraderie that seems to be lacking in todays society. I feel it is such a waste that these people with so much lived experience are so under valued in our society today. For me they would be so much more interesting to listen to then say reading about the war from a book at School. The elderly women would make great surrogate grannies too.

     1. The very elderly are a fount of wisdom and yes are a very under-utilised resource as you say, Mary. Children would much prefer to talk to these people and hear about the camaraderie people shared during those years of war than read it on a screen or in a book. People of all ages prefer having the human angle presented by people who have lived through the actual experiences rather than via a more distantly removed resource. I know I certainly do.

        1. If I had had this opportunity, to have ‘history’ brought alive for me in this way by someone who spoke about real-life experiences I know I would have very much enjoyed the lesson and the interaction and experience.

444. Beautiful blog ladies. I recognise the humility that comes with ageing and the quality of becoming or being an elder. There is a fathomless depth to what is on offer when we let go of needing to know everything – or thinking we need to know – and simply accepting that we never stop learning and expanding.

     1. Beautifully said, Lucy. There is a fathomless depth to what is on offer and endless possibilities when we choose to never stop learning and expanding.

445. As a man in my 60’s I completely agree with the sentiments expressed here and concur that the focus on youth and ‘being young’ brings a lack of appreciation of growing older and the wisdom of elder energy.

     1. The lack of appreciation of what is on offer as we grow older is great loss to current society. Gradual change over time is possible if increasingly more people show there is another way of embracing the elder years.

        1. Yes, it is by the lived example that change truly occurs.

446. It’s deeply inspiring and lovely to have role models who show that we can be even more engaged in life and true to who we are as we grow older rather than ‘switch off’ or withdraw…

     1. I too find it inspiring when I have quality role models who don’t ‘switch off’ and remain engaged in life, Fiona.

     2. I agree Ariana, I have been inspired by people of all ages not because of their age but because of who they are and what they reflect.

     3. As you say, Fiona ‘…role models who show that we can be even more engaged in life and true to who we are as we grow older…’ are deeply inspiring and have a magical effect on the aging process in that these role models then reflect the lightness of being and playful joyfulness that moving as an elder brings.

447. I’m with you, Jane, that retirement feels alien and is not the way to live one’s life.

448. Since attending presentation with Serge Benhayon there have been many changes I have chosen to make. Without these changes, I would not be appreciating and loving how different my relationship is with myself now in my late 60 with more joy and true vitality than ever before.

     1. I would have to say ‘ditto’, Stephanie, for the quality of the relationship i enjoy with myself and others.

449. I completely agree, ladies…as I get older there is a “deepening engagement with life and the people”, thanks to the joy of re-connecting to my soul as a daily or even momentary priority and choice.

     1. There is such joy in every moment of re-connection we experience during our days.

450. ‘There is an acceptance that introduces humility, a life-enriching quality that allows us to view the world and our place and purpose in it with a sense of the bigger picture and the joy of our equality.’ Being able to sit back and observe life and not feel we have to contribute feels very relaxing but at the same time there is a joy in giving back.

     1. Yes, our elder years present so many opportunities if we are open to seeing them.

451. We effectively put ourselves ‘on the shelf’ for our whole life when we see age as detrimental and undesirable. It’s true as a race we seem not to have learnt and grown from the past but that is not ages fault. It’s never too late to realise our true ancient wisdom and age gracefully knowing we are great. Thank you, Matilda and Judy for getting together to showcase this wisdom here.

     1. ‘It’s never too late to realise our true ancient wisdom and age gracefully knowing we are great.’ Beautifully said, Joseph, and a most encouraging statement for people to read.

452. It is never too late and we each have much to offer, regardless of our age.

453. I love your question: ‘So what, as a society, can we say is going on when we so readily dismiss and sideline our elders?’ Also knowing that in the past the elders were the ones to go to always and were respected and honored for the wisdom that they had lived. So there are the current elders in our society who don’t take their responsibility by really being present in the world and offering in full who they are and what they learned. Could this also reflect how many elder people just want to retreat from life, because they know deep down they haven’t lived their full potential?
     And there is society that allows that and almost doesn’t want to be pulled up and reflected of how amazing we all really are.

     1. You have introduce another great point, Monika, especially as you remind us of how in previous times our elders were respected and honoured for the wisdom they had lived. The change since those times seems to be double pronged as there have and are always going to be people who responsibly lived to their fullness to the best of their ability, however modern society prefers not to see that and focusses on the downing of tools and good times that are available as a reward for working up until now, so any thoughts of living to one’s full potential don’t even get a look in.

454. I love this suggestion that we actually start to ‘feel younger’. What I feel is that I am simply starting to feel more myself and in this there is an ageless and timeless quality. Ok, the body goes on ageing, but the true essence of who I am does not really change it seems.

     1. I couldn’t agree more, Richard. There is an ageless and timeless quality when we increasingly feel more like ourself.

     2. Yes, it’s that starting to feel more oneself and connecting to the ageless and timeless quality we hold as our essence, that has me feeling ‘younger’. Feeling this way seems to have grown as I’ve stated to appreciate myself more readily so it’s becoming more and more part of the way I relate to myself on a daily basis.

455. It’s easy to fall into the ‘on the shelf’ mentality. It’s one that is deeply ingrained in our society. How wonderful to see women around me in the community doing it differently, embracing life and stepping more and more into their power, and shining more and more brightly. This needs to be the new norm.

     1. So true, Rebecca. The ‘on the shelf’ mentality is currently deeply ingrained in our society and it is great to see that there is another way to approach this stage of one’s life.

     2. It’s so interesting this ‘on the shelf’ mentality. Not so long ago it was a woman who hadn’t married by her early 20’s who was considered ‘on the shelf’. That stigma seem to have dropped away for the most part in the western world however, now it is a stigma attached to the OAP’s (old age pensioners – the ripe ‘old’ age of 60!) – in particular women OAP’s, and there are many, many people who buy in to this belief. I wonder if dementia would be as rampant as it is now if this belief weren’t so ingrained in our culture? In the acronym OAP alone I can feel the old-ness and given up energy that it comes laced with.

456. “That we should gracefully step aside to make way for the younger generation” – i find the grace of a woman are the steps she takes back towards herself .. at any age.. and where always is there the space to truly step aside for this (her) glory to be.

     1. The grace of a woman is currently such an overlooked factor in the world, Zofia.

     2. “i find the grace of a woman are the steps she takes back towards herself .. at any age..” this is beautiful and so very honouring of every woman.

457. I have definitely noticed the attitude in society whereby people believe that you peak in your life somewhere in the middle and then its a decline from there all the way until you die and I have had the same belief myself. However witnessing some very vital, engaging, wise, productive and spunky elders around me has shown me that this belief is not necessarily true!

     1. Yes there is definitely picture that people peak at a certain age, Andrew. That may be true when it comes to ageing of the body, however I feel it applies to little else when a person keeps fully engaged in living life to the full.

458. There was a particular DIY store I used to go to and I would always seek out this old guy for advice, he knew where everything was and there was nothing he didn’t know about DIY. The thing was all the young dudes didn’t care they were there for the pay packet but the old guy was there to keep active and share his wisdom.

     1. I just love it when you come across someone like that who know things inside out and back to front. They are so the person to seek out when you need assistance, Kev.

     2. I love this comment. The people who are working because it brings purpose and they have a love of working and being with people, bring that something extra to the job that money cannot buy. My grandfather was the same as the old guy you have described Kevmchardy, in as much as he was a master potter and retired. Then after a short time, they asked him to come back because no one could match his expertise, he jumped at the chance and worked well into his 70’s before he died.

     3. What a beautiful reflection ‘this old guy’ offers! I love walking into DIY stores where the old guys are so visibly enjoying themselves and are of such service, true service, to all who enter their store. Not only offering their wisdom from lived experience, but also the reflection that working through ‘retirement age’ can be such a joy.

     4. They know the value of service and having a job I would say Kevin, they care about their job I don’t know if that is an age thing so much as a way your bought up to value things. I always gave 100% at work when young and have always loved working, I innately know the value of purpose and know not working causes all sorts of ill in the body and mind.

459. I feel more comfortable in my own skin now I am in my forties than I have probably since I was a young child.

     1. I do too Fiona, and I know many men and woman that do, yet I ask why is that? Why are we not celebrated for what we bring at any age?

        1. ‘Why are we not celebrated for what we bring at any age?’ Interesting question Aimee, and I feel it’s partly got something to do with the fact that so few people celebrate themselves. Does society put people on the shelf of life or do we climb up quietly by ourselves? Judy and Matilda are actively celebrating who they are and what they bring and so who can resist joining in the party?

        2. So true Alexis, I know many older women that blow me away by how absolutely radiant, beaming, joyful, gorgeous and totally committed to life they are as they age. They’ve shown me that yes there are changes that happen as we age but if we celebrate and appreciate who we are and what we bring to everything we do and to everyone we meet, then there is never any thought of shelf sitting! The world needs to see more woman and men like this.

     2. I am finding the feeling of being comfortable in my own skin is increasing as I continue to age as well, Fiona.

460. As a society, we certainly need to re-evaluate our values. We have made being youthful and young the prize and the all. Certainly, we have sidelined a whole section of the population that brings experience, wisdom and lived knowing to the fore. It is time to bring our values back into balance and hold equal to what each section of the population brings as a whole.

     1. I agree, Rachel. It’s more than time to bring our values back into balance and hold equal to what each section of the population brings as a whole.

461. What a gorgeous blog, i agree completely about the liberation from the idea that youth is the active part of life and older years are sitting back and putting our feet up. It is inevitable that the years increase but there is a joy in ageing gracefully and connecting to and reflecting our wisdom gives us plenty of scope to continue to work and keep active. That’s one of the things that keeps us well.

     1. Spot on, Gill. There definitely is a joy to be had in ageing gracefully and that connecting to and reflecting our wisdom gives us plenty of scope to continue to work and keep active. It’s super inspiring to meet people who choose to live this way as well.

462. The US Supreme Court Justices have an average age of 69, the oldest is 84, and the youngest is 50. Most country’s around the world would have a similar age group for their high courts. There is a wealth of lived knowledge that is respected. So, why do we discard others and their lived experiences? The world is full of amazing life’s lived, and we all can use, share and continue to add to our great adventures.

     1. This is such a great example of respect and valuing of lived experience in law circles. Professors at Universities and researchers keep working into their advanced years as well. Discarding people simply because of their age is shortsighted as so much depth of wisdom and experience walks out the door when they leave.

        1. Yes the knowledge is there but is there a Lived Wisdom that makes them connected to the Inner-most or are they soooo dedicated to professional life that they simply do not check out because they have to continue to put out? So what if we look at a way of Living that brings Wisdom and Live in a way that shares responsibility for every aspect of our life? Then as you have shared Judith and Matilda, True-Wisdom in all it’s glory opens it doors for everyone young and old alike so we all get to feel the “life-enriching quality that allows us to view the world and our place and purpose in it with a sense of the bigger picture and the Joy of our equality.”?

     2. Very good point Steve if one of the most prestigious professions – in the temporal sense of life – values age and experience for its top job so should other jobs where we can all benefit from.

463. Turning around this ‘‘putting out to pasture’ mentality’ is huge, as it challenges all our ideals about retirement. I for one feel that health permitting, will work until my last breath in one capacity or another, a huge shift from my previous desire to take time out to just please myself.

     1. Same here, Rowena. I will work in some capacity until my last breath, health permitting.

     2. This puts a whole new spin on the purpose of life. Rather than simply working hard to pay off the mortgage and provide for the kids and then be rewarded with timeout at the end, it supports us to understand that there is purpose in service and that in this purpose there is no off switch, but with an exponential lived wisdom and life experience an older person has riches to share and to give that is gold.

     3. Apart from the great joy and purpose of working, it is also a HUGE liberation financially to know you will work until your last breath.

464. Such a great blog Judith and Matilda, really highlighting the importance of how we choose to live right through our lives and how the joy of us in that lived wisdom and grace, can nourish us back and ensure we take great light and wisdom with us into our next phase of the cycle.

     1. Beautifully said, Julie and so supportive for people to know there is another way; that ‘how we choose to live right through our lives and how the joy of us in that lived wisdom and grace, can nourish us back and ensure we take great light and wisdom with us into our next phase of the cycle.’

465. ” If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others.” Beautifully expressed. In my various volunteering roles I meet many more people each week than I ever did when working 9 to 5.offering a reflection of how it can be when we are getting older. Slowing down? Not for a moment!

     1. The traditional view of retirement is slowing down, yet I know many people like you, Sue, who are leading very fulfilling lives in various volunteering roles and say their days have become even more purposeful. That is so inspiring and definite proof one isn’t ‘washed up’ simply because they are no longer receiving a pay-packet.

     2. Yes, a lovely analogy – with the autumn of our lives we can let drop away what is not important and show what is true.

466. We rob ourselves of so much wisdom if we do not embrace the whole cycle of life but only a part. Wanting to stay/look young we stop us from growing and understanding, it is like only wanting to see a part of life and with that we not only deny ourself the beauty life as a whole has to offer but for everybody else too.

     1. Haha and I agree and didn’t think of it like that “embrace the whole cycle of life”. Truly seeing life as the cycle it is, meaning that all points need to be embraced and honoured. Dis-regard one part and you will be destined to repeat it. As in all cycles that complete if they aren’t full and in parts then you will need to go back around to ‘fill in the holes’. This is very eye opening for life and for how we treat and value ourselves and others within it. It maybe a point to bring in the how you are with others is how you are with yourself or how you will be treated by others. So in this way it makes great sense to value the “whole cycle of life” and in that this is what you are putting out to be fed back with.

     2. What you have expressed is so true, Esther. We certainly rob ourselves of wondrous opportunities when we choose not to embrace life, ourselves and the innate qualities we all have and live them as fully as possible.

467. I agree, Shirley-Ann. So many people have been supported to feel what is true, along with what is really important in life, thanks to the inspiration and endless possibilities Serge Benhayon’s presentations offer all of humanity.

468. Old age is a time of regret for many as they look back over their lives and choices seeing all they missed out on and yet feeling there was no other way. You both show that there is another way and that being an elder is part of an endless cycle.

     1. Looking back over one’s life with regret is certainly something I don’t want to experience, Leonne. There is another way and I’m eternally grateful I have chosen it.

469. What you have written is spot on, Doug, and provides an outline of how people can choose to sideline themselves and the the subsequent illness, disease and dementia that can often follow if we dismiss ourselves and the potential we all hold right to the very last breath we take.

470. ‘Being on the shelf’ is most definitely a myth that needs to be incinerated, Ariana. Those who are embracing their power by accepting ‘ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others’ are subsequently doing just this.

471. Your words, ‘We have learned much from our journey through life and have acquired much wisdom in doing so, and to share and express this unhindered, I feel, is the true role of an elder,’ are spot on, Elizabeth.

472. I could not help but feel while reading this blog how much the predominant belief in western society that this is our one and only life to live with its associated lack of belief in reincarnation plays a role in people’s avoidance of accepting and appreciating all the things that being an elder brings to life, and also contributes to the desire to constantly strive to look young and super fit. The fear of dying is huge because of these beliefs, instead of embracing death as simply part of a repeating cycle until we learn all that is needed to learn on this planet.

     1. The fear of dying underpins many people’s lives. It such a waste of energy as all we ever have is the right here and now to live with love to the best of our ability and the rest looks after itself, Michael.

473. Beautifully said, Alison. ‘As elders we can offer a different understanding of what it is to grow older if we don’t write ourselves off or choose to put on our comfortable slippers and retire or withdraw from life.’

474. Physical health is clearly declining as we age, though the speed at which it happens can vary but mental health actually goes up as we age.

     1. Awesome to hear that mental health actually goes up as we age, Christoph. Possibly because we don’t invest so much effort trying to be all things for all people, as many choose to do in their younger years?

475. ‘If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others’ … I am approaching sixty years of age and I feel more purpose in my life now than at any other time previously, thanks to the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom and knowing inspirational men and women such as yourselves, Judy and Matilda. Thank you for sharing your beautiful selves and your wisdom.

     1. Yes Alison, It’s living our lives with purpose that truly makes the difference, no matter what age we are. Is it that we start to wise up to ourselves more when we are in the autumn of our lives? I feel we do. We can look back over our lives and more readily see what has not served us then make changes accordingly.

476. When I was a very little girl i was always mesmerised or in awe of elders and found such great warmth and wisdom in their experiences shared and their stories about life. The beauty of being an elder is the opportunity to share their lived wisdom and be able to inspire a younger generation of people who at some point maybe faced with a similar situation and can learn from each other to grow and understand more of the world as it is today from experiences felt in years passed.

     1. I too remember special moments spent with older people when I was a very little girl. To this day I still relish connecting with people who are older than me as they have so much lived wisdom to share about life if we are willing to stop and listen to them. I have also found the learning can go the other way as well, as young people too have an inner wisdom and lots of insights to share when we afford them the space and grace to express and be listened to.

477. Wisdom is there to share at any age, yet there is something rather beautiful about wisdom being shared by an older person with their rich tapestry of life experience.

478. Any confines or lack of self worth we may feel around our age are only there because we allow them to be there. There is no reason for us to accept the current societal pattern for ‘older’ people to be of less value, it’s not as though our light suddenly gets dimmer, unless we choose to dim it ourselves.

     1. This is so true, Alison!

479. Yes the beholding, nurturing and supporting of others are truly amazing qualities that are a marker of how we can encourage and inspire the younger generation. Why are we not promoting this as the hallmark of ageing rather than selling the overseas trips, get aways and cruising through life in our older years?

     1. Super question, Natalliya, that so shows just how wrong society has got its values with the huge promotion of selling the overseas trips, getaways and cruising through life for people in their older years.

480. What a brilliant topic to get out there on the air-waves and Internet. I love the question you begin with: ‘Could it be that rather than putting ourselves on the shelf as we get to a certain age, we have the amazing opportunity to serve and express ourselves more freely, released from the false worries about fitting in and what people will think about us?’ We have a choice to align to the conventional move of putting ourselves ‘on the shelf’ or to continue to evolve and expand, bringing even more to the world than we previously have! As a famous song goes, ‘There’s not a shelf, that she’s comfortable to sit on’. So much of our ability to continue to grow and contribute in our elderly years depends on having the bigger picture of re-incarnation in clear sight, and understanding the continuity of life. Why would you want to curtail your own life? Only because we have succumbed and given our power away to an image, which is false.

     1. So True, Lyndy, “We have a choice to align to the conventional move of putting ourselves ‘on the shelf’ or to continue to evolve and expand, bringing even more to the world than we previously have!” There is no escaping that the quality of life we enjoy is determined by the quality of choices we have made up to that point and that this applies to every stage of our lives.

        1. Totally Judith!

481. I feel so much joy at what is ahead of me as I grow older, I feel like life is only just beginning and in many ways it is for me as before this I was in life but I wasn’t really living life. Life was something I did because I had to whereas now it’s because I love to.

482. It is an absolute delight to watch the joy of a toddler as it learns how to stand and fall, walk and crawl, laugh and play yet for some reason as life goes on we tend to loose this innate quality of loving to learn. Reading this you have re-ignited the joy that it is to learn in life and seeing how much there is constantly on offer.

     1. I agree, Fiona, that there is much joy to be had watching and connecting to the enthusiasm young children exhibit in their day. This enthusiasm could continue throughout life unabated, however most of us seem to take on a load that dims our way of being over the years until many have forgotten how to connect to it. Thanks to Serge Benhayon I have been supported to live more fully connected to this quality of joy and a love of life that I was able to share via this blog.

483. So refreshing to read Matilda and Judy, thank you. We still hold onto many ill beliefs about the passage of aging. What I am finding today is that growing old is not the journey I had imagined it to be when I was twenty. The more I learn to cherish myself the more vital I feel. I realise now that it is this quality that we associate with being youthful and know that it is not a quality confined to youthfulness alone. If we choose to deeply care for our selves and simply express what we feel in our hearts, then this is a quality that can keep on growing as we grow older.

     1. You’ve hit the nail on the head, Rowena, where you say, ‘The more I learn to cherish myself the more vital I feel.’ Also, ‘If we choose to deeply care for our selves and simply express what we feel in our hearts, then this is a quality that can keep on growing as we grow older.’ Living this way is the key to enjoying life on a day-to-day basis as well as ensuring we enjoy the years that follow right through all our elder years.

484. When we have true purpose in our lives, there is a commitment and joy to living.

485. It makes so much sense to honour our elders, to respect their life experience… they have walked a little further along the path of life and have so much to offer everyone in honesty and wisdom, and in this present a reality to life that is true.

     1. The word ‘honour’ jumped out at me from your words, Paula, as honouring our elders has not been the general way of the past in many countries. Fortunately the times are a changing, slowly but surely as the life experience, honesty and wisdom of many elders is gradually being recognised more readily. Is it possible the call has gone out as people are living longer so there are more that won’t readily accept the old ways of being overlooked and put out to pasture any more?

486. Beautiful sharing ladies it really exposes how it is for the elders. Are our young in reaction to how our elders are holding themselves? If you have elders living knowing they are giving back and not giving up it will be their responsibility to keep on living to the very end in a sustainable quality showing all of us how simple life can be lived to the very end.

     1. You’ve asked a great question, Rik. ‘Are our young in reaction to how our elders are holding themselves?’ I feel our young are in reaction to how they currently see life being lived by most people and observing people who are older living in a given-up despondency certainly offers no inspiration to anyone.
        Is it possible that the behaviour choices of many young people are in reaction to this, so much so that they choose what they see as living on the edge, in the fast lane, packing in as much stimulation as possible; that they see it as a way of living to make the most of their youth if that what’s old age is going to be like?
        This really shows the extent of what true responsibility is for any one, no matter what their age. Thanks to the presentations of Serge Benhayon many have discovered for themselves that there is a way to live that is simple and caring of all, so they can carry this into their elder years and show this steady and sustainable way of living can be lived to the very end of one’s life.

        1. Absolute Awesome response Judith. It shows how important it is to ask those questions. Have a look around you. Trust what is you feel that is going on within and keep on asking questions if it does not feel true because in those questions an answer will come – a question cannot be without an answer.

487. I have started working alongside someone I consider an elder and the constant knowing, holding, steadiness and wisdom they offer is hugely supportive and much needed in our industry that has become very fast paced and reactive. To have someone who has seen it all and done it all and isn’t consumed by it is so needed.

     1. Not being consumed by whatever is happening around us and enjoying a steadiness is something I deeply value too, MW. Best of all people don’t have to wait until they reach your elder years to be that way. I have found staying tuned into me to the best of my ability and checking how my body feels most supportive. The key is catching the moment when reactions come flooding in and giving yourself the space, whenever it’s available, to ponder on what is going on underneath; if there’s a buried hurt or unsettling memory you have yet to face. I now see reactions as a signpost, to take time to check in with myself and get to the bottom of what is truly going on so I realise why I have got caught up in fast paced busy-ness or been reactive. The same goes for situations when procrastination and inertia have become the go-to behaviour as well.

488. Awesome blog, thank you both, the true sense of your worth, responsibility and joyful embrace of life shines through! And I love how you ‘outed’ those myths around ageing…

     1. Yes, Fiona, it was time to ‘out’ all those non-serving myths around ageing. They have never been supportive to anyone and are outdated left-overs from past eras and ways of looking at people and life.

489. When I look around, I see a lot of elderly people living a very poor quality of life, most of them suffer from multiple illness and disease. When I talk to them, they often tell me it is no fun when you get old, nothing seems to work like they used to and life is a struggle. Often, they share that they feel very lonely. I used to feel a sense of dread and I felt a bit sad when I witnessed this. But now, I am starting to see that there is another way, a way to ageing gracefully, with vitality, commitment to life, purpose and joy. I see this happening in the esoteric community where people are ageing with absolute beauty and grace in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and this is the reflection our world needs, what a divine way of ageing looks and feels like.

     1. Yes, there is another way to ageing gracefully, with vitality, commitment to life, purpose and joy that the world needs to see and the choice rests in our hands, chanly88.

490. A great article on the joy of ageing, with so much negative talk out there about growing old. this is a great line “realising how much we still have to learn and losing the pressure of needing to look like we have all the answers.” it opens us up to the opportunity to grow and learn more about ourselves and life in general, definitely not a down hill run as many are supposing.

     1. Yes this is a good thing to mention as part of the trap of being older is that you can feel the pressure of being supposedly wiser and coming up with all the answers so freeing ourselves of this pressure as we grow older feels very important and just viewing ourselves as learning as we go along no matter what age we are takes all the pressure off.

        1. My great grandmother lived to just short of her 98th birthday and she never pressured herself to know it all and have all the answers. I distinctly remember her saying the day she didn’t learn something was the day she was ready to depart this life, such was her childlike curiosity and love of connection available with people, the world and all its wonders. I’ve just realised her approach to life is what kept her young at heart. Her body aged and became wrinkly, however her being didn’t show signs of ageing.

        2. That’s super beautiful Judith and very inspiring for us all.

     2. It certainly is not a downhill run, Jill. I feel much of the negative talk comes because people have chosen to miss the opportunities this stage of life presents us. When we are open to seeing that the choices we make determine the quality of life we enjoy afterwards on a daily basis, we soon discover just how vital it is to choose wisely and well.

491. Thank you for this gorgeous blog ladies.
     When I was in my late forties, I had a period of feeling over the hill and actually invisible. I realise on looking back that I had entered into a giving up attitude. This happened because I began to take on the beliefs about ageing and all that supposedly entails. Fast forward 25 years to 65 and I am no longer invisible, I feel younger than I did then and experiencing a more vibrant, joy filled engagement with life, people and my work.

     I have wonderful role models around me, friends who are up 20 years older than me and still ‘rocking it’, who have claimed back their ‘elderhood’, and this in itself is inspiring and supports me to hold true to my own. As I have seen in them, I have more to offer now than I ever did and it comes from a place of lived experience and the wisdom that comes with that when those lived experiences are learned from and when what is learned is acted upon.

     1. I too have found having older role models who have claimed back their ‘elder hood’ most inspiring, Jeanette, as we now serve as role models for those who are younger than us.

492. Ah the ageing years and what that means. I totally agree there is a huge value in the ‘elders’ of any community and family. The lived experience that is current for us all to tap into goes beyond our current meaning of mere wisdom. If we look at how we gauge people when is the ‘sweet spot’ of life or the ideal age. It seems we are either to young, still learning, mid life and then too old, it seems at no point do we deem people having a true value without a write off of some part. Embrace the elders should be the call and I know certainly it has opened my eyes as the years pass, what’s more I am not sure there is anyone who truly feels their age.

     1. I’ve never stopped to consider if there is a ‘sweet spot’ in life or an ideal age to be, Ray. Seems it happens whenever we are enjoying life and our connection with others and from experience, I know that can happen at any age.

        1. I hadn’t either really until this article and then when I considered it I was laughing because at no point really in my life at least had there been a point to reach that was ‘the ideal age’. There is a natural joy to life no matter what age you are. I love watching our children grow as they seem to step with such great enthusiasm and freedom within themselves and when you approach them it seems that every moment has a freshness to it, like they don’t carry a condition on relationships. So for me this is a marker and when I walk I check the weight of my thoughts and how carrying a ‘to do’ list around is heavy. Like the quality of this article brings to us it matters not the number you are reaching but more the quality you are and this is where the true value lies.

493. This was an absolute joy to read Judy and Matilda, thank you. Especially this line – “It is now our experience that our ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious” – you don’t hear that very often 🙂 Lead the way for us all…

     1. Yes, that is how love feels in a human body!

     2. Yes, Sarah, Matilda and I are joyously discovering there is a more supportive way to see ourselves and our bodies as we age and are definitely enjoying sharing this with others.

494. It is only when we view life as a straight line trajectory that we can succumb to the belief that there is an ‘end point’. While we can of course identify that there is a beginning point (birth) and an end point (‘death’) in the physical sense, this does not honour the truth that we are more than the form we inhabit, and this ‘more’ is to be lived in and through the physical body to the best of our ability while we are enhoused within it.

     Like all things in nature, we are a part of an unending cycle of life. This means that during the second half of this cycle in life, we are already preparing for the next cycle (our next incarnation/next life) that is a building upon what has been lived in the current one. By ignoring this, we are setting ourselves up to not come back with the full magnitude of the wisdom, grace and love that has been embodied previously, if indeed we allowed ourselves to embody it at all.

     There is no expiry date on love – we either live it, or we do not.

     1. Have we reached the ant and the grasshopper fable way of life with today’s youth and their; you only live once in their view of the world? Or even the reckless James Dean quote; live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse. Life is more than the number of times we have circled the sun. We are all on a journey that will take many lives to complete. We build on each one or get stuck like a record and keep repeating the same patterns again and again.

        1. I agree, Steve. There are so many false pictures out there that people choose to latch onto.

     2. How powerful are the closing words you expressed, Liane – ‘There is no expiry date on love – we either live it, or we do not.’ They show just how ridiculous the assumption that anyone in their elder years is ‘past it’ actually is.

495. Could it be we look at life up-side-down and that we never stop expanding or learning from each other so the very young have just as much to share and the very old? Wisdom is wisdom and comes from all quarters when we open to feeling the Truth.

     1. Love your words, ‘Wisdom is wisdom and comes from all quarters when we open to feeling the Truth,’ Greg. I too have found it can come via anyone anywhere, anytime and of any age.

        1. So True Judith, letting people in is the key. and as we open our hearts everything becomes available and the gems keep on flowing.

496. Hell yes, now we are talking, the current western view of ageing is so backward. As someone who is entering the elder phase I can’t say I am embracing it due in part to all the desires for youth only but I am inspired by women who are embracing aging it is so an attractive quality.

     1. Step by step worked for me, Vanessa. It doesn’t have to be achieved in a day.

497. The whole idea of stepping aside for the younger generation does not make sense, we all have so much to bring to each other.

     1. Well said, Melinda. So much is lost when older people are either put aside or removed from the equation.

498. I am nearly sixty, most people my age are looking towards retirement whereas I have started a new career in Aged Care as well as doing further study in this area. Many of us who have participated in the Ageless Wisdom Teachings are reflecting a new way forward when it comes to ageing.

     1. We certainly remain open to all sorts of possibilities as you are so clearly showing, Mary Louise with the work and study you are embarking on. This serves as inspiration for both young and old, plus everyone in between.

499. ‘In our experience of being elders, at work, in our families and amongst our community, there is a grace in accepting growing older and a huge service in taking responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society.’ – How true and absolutely powerful is this. Grace is accepting life’s cycle and the grandness it offers at any age.

     1. I love your words, ‘Grace is accepting life’s cycle and the grandness it offers at any age,’ and the beautifully expressed truth they hold, Eva.

500. There can be a putting on the shelf way of living at any age and perhaps if we all value what we have to share at any age, as we age we would never even consider being on a shelf.

     1. ‘The shelf’ would become obsolete if we all chose to live and value what we each have to share, Nikki.

        1. No shelf to be put on 🙂

501. We certainly have painted a picture of elders – that they are’ over the hill’ with so many jokes out there about this topic. So it is a point for us to look at why we paint each other in this light, and why we are OK with putting others down. This blog starts to bring this to our awareness and get honest about how we are treating each other.

     1. Well said, HM. Jokes and putdowns are never the way to treat another.

     2. I have seen people often use the guise of jokes to phrase putdowns in a seemingly more ‘acceptable’ manner. I agree, HM. It is a point for us to look at why we paint each other in this light, and why we are OK with putting others down both on an individual basis as well as collectively in current society.

502. Love this Judy and Matilda and as an elder I can so relate to what you have written. I can remember when I was younger that being 60 seemed very old and came with a whole raft of behaviour expectations which included not wearing short skirts and “fading into the shadows”. Now at 68 I have a new view of life. I don’t feel old, I have a vitality that I have never had before, there is no hiding in the shadows and I love wearing short skirts and showing off my amazing 68 year old legs!

     1. I totally agree with you Ingrid, I used to think 60 was old, however, now in my 60’s I feel more alive and vital than I ever did when I was younger, though I do not wear skirts short or long.

        1. I too am enjoying a greater measure of clarity and vitality as I age which supports me to live in connection with myself with definite purpose and strong commitment to life . . . so different from ‘fading into the shadows’ which is what many expect of people enjoying the autumn of their life to do. No invisibility for me!

503. There is a deep beauty and power in ageing – an advancement rather than a decline when we stay connected, with purpose and commitment to life.

     1. Beautiful Jenny, I love what you’ve shared here. It highlights the way society tends to think of ageing is not actually supporting people to celebrate life and the ageing process. There is joy in life no matter what stage we are at when we connect to our essence, and like you shared, ‘with purpose and commitment to life.’

     2. If we stay committed life keeps unfolding as we feel the joy of learning, growing and moving on.

     3. It is very freeing when one realises ageing is not an automatic signal for going into a decline, that in fact the opposite is true, Jenny. That it’s how we chose to live our lives that is the decider of which way it’ll go for us.

504. “there is a grace in accepting growing older and a huge service in taking responsibility for the pivotal part we play in society” – Gorgeous blog Julie and Matilda! This is an incredible way to approach ageing, as an opportunity to deepen our relationships with ourselves but also the community, enriching each day with the purpose of giving back and showing others a true way of living from all of our experience and learnings.

     1. It is a huge service to embrace ageing and such an inspiration.

     2. Great highlight and I agree, the more we all appreciate our value and others value, truly the more rich the connection and direction of where things are heading will be. If you sit with people old or young and truly see them and listen you will see there is gold in us all but to cast aside ‘the elders’ makes no sense in a world that is stepping away from a true sense of itself.

     3. I love how you have described ageing as ‘an opportunity to deepen our relationships with ourselves but also the community, enriching each day with the purpose of giving back and showing others a true way of living from all of our experience and learnings, Susie. There is so much joy to be experienced in living that way.

     4. Yes, Susie it is awesome, as you express most succinctly, to embrace the ‘opportunity to deepen our relationships with ourselves but also the community, enriching each day with the purpose of giving back and showing others a true way of living from all of our experience and learnings.’ I have found it to be life-changing.

505. ‘Sidelining’ those who have lived lives and learned lessons they can share with younger ones does not make much sense does it. We learn from our parents and our teachers in school – and they are naturally older than we are – but at what point do we stop valuing the ‘elders’ in our societies and ‘put them out to pasture’? My experience is that a person of any age can be a source of great wisdom – and we dismiss anyone at our peril…and to our detriment.

     1. It show just how ludicrous putting the ‘elders’ in our societies ‘out to pasture’ is when you express it like this, Richard. I so agree that if we dismiss anyone of any age, it is to our detriment and in a big picture sense, not an innocuous choice to make. Meeting with another presents many possibilities if we remain open and accepting of any potential they might hold.

506. I love that there is no need to retire in me, like you say there is ‘.. a deepening engagement with life and the people in it means we realise how much we still have to offer and how much we want to continue to do so.’ I have the feeling I just started so why should I stop.

     1. Ditto Annelies – why stop when I really just started.

        1. I love what you both have shared here. There is no need to retire from life and certainly no need to stop the awesome engagement with life and people we have started.

507. Reading this beautiful piece on aging I can see that we are constantly ‘growing up’; taking more responsibility and reflecting the joy of life lived with it.

     1. I agree, Rosanna. We are constantly ‘growing up’ and growing to be more of who we truly are when we embrace the process of ageing with grace.

508. Imagine how the young would grow being inspired by elders, knowing that at any age there need not be the push and struggle to fit in. All that time wasted trying to be something or someone when that drive will eventually be let go of. Why not nip it in the bud before it starts? I have definitely been inspired by elders around me and those my age holding great wisdom, much less of my life is taken up trying to achieve and strive to make myself something.

     1. I feel realising that ‘there need not be the push and struggle to fit in’ is one of the most supportive things a person can ever learn for themselves, Leigh and it certainly saves a lot of energy from being wasted when we do.

509. “That we will at some point ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’. This is such a brilliant point and one that many people, myself included have fallen for. It is never about “getting it” but rather about unfolding into deeper levels of truth and that process is very beautiful to be part of.

     1. What a myth to bust. “I’m not yet enough but one day will be, one day I’ll be better than I currently am.” We miss out on the riches of ourselves when we live this way.

        1. It’s ridiculous because it means we waste life as it passes us by without appreciating all that we are.

     2. It was so freeing to realise I didn’t need to ‘get it’ or ‘have all the answers’, Elizabeth. I suspect it’s a belief many people have fallen for. Years ago, I remember asking my dad, ‘When do you ever feel like you are really grown up?’ He replied he never had and he said the same close to his passing at ninety-two years of age. That sure proved it to me and part-way explains why he stayed seemingly so young at heart.

510. ‘No need to shrink into the shadows. We can simply embrace growing older…’ It is so important to embrace one’s life no matter what stage it is at. Every stage and aspect of a person’s life has purpose which we may be conscious of or not. Our duty is to live and express all that we are in truth and not what the world wants and we do not have to wait until we get ‘old’ to give ourselves permission.

     1. What you have expressed is so true, John. There’s no point in waiting until we are old to give ourselves permission to ‘express all that we are in truth and not what the world wants.’ That is what has people looking back over their lives with regret and that serves no one.

511. Having already written for the book, ‘The Joy of Ageing, Esoterically’, I agree that as we get older we have more to offer in society.
     For more on ‘The Joy of Ageing, Esoterically’ go to;
     http://www.unimedliving.com/search?keyword=JOY+of+AGEING+ESOTERICALLY

     1. This is such a great website. Thanks for posting the link, Greg.

512. I love it Judy and Matilda, the more ‘elders’ embrace themselves the more us ‘youngsters’ get inspired how we too can be when we grow older. I have also found I gave been inspired to look after myself more now knowing the way I am now will directly relate to how I am in my later years.

     1. Absolutely James – as elders it is our responsibility to reflect that growing older is not ‘the end of it’ but quite the opposite.

        1. And it is lovely to be inspired by the many Women and Men in the Esoteric community who are showing what our elders years can be like. Thank you Eva for being one of those people.

     2. I too continue to be inspired to look after myself and my body more knowing this will directly impact on how I am in my even later years, James. I have also learned that no matter what age or stage of life people are in, every choice they make counts. More importantly, there is no ‘get home free card’ waiting in the wings to help bail us out should any unwanted consequences eventuate from those choices. To me that truly represents and is Responsibility with a capital R.

        1. So well said Judith, ‘every choice…counts’ and this does bring ultimate Responsibility as we are the creators of how our life is.

     3. Yes agreed, so many check out in life and it is great to have a community that is sharing what life looks like when it is lived to the full. Could it be that when life is lived in accordance to being connected first and fore-most that Dementia, Alzheimer’s and other mental disorder could become a thing of the past? And as you have shared Judy and Matilda, “that a deepening engagement with life and the people in it means we realise how much we still have to offer and how much we want to continue to do so.”

        1. That makes complete sense Greg, the more we connect and are with what we are doing the more we actually want to be there and so our minds are not wondering off. So many people at work do not want to be there and simply are there to pay the bills that there minds wonder and so no surprise dementia is escalating because as you say it is a check out from life from the mundaneness. Yet life is magical and full when we start to embrace what is offer, namely the love that we are.

        2. Yes James, and could it be we start to learn to check-out when we are at school?

513. I agree ladies, the older I get the more lived experience I have to share and the less worried I am about anything and everything. It is a real blessing.

     1. Ageing is a real blessing when one embraces it and yes, there is the grace of having a lot less to worry about, Kathleen.

        1. Also, just as an addition, I have worked out that the majority of my life thus far I have been an older woman rather than a younger woman so I may as well embrace aging with my arms and heart wide open. Youth is but a fleeting moment in the overall lifespan of the average person

514. Embracing life and living this in it fullest to the end is an amazing way to live and makes all the difference to ourselves and everyone . Treasuring our wisdom and grace as we age and being fully present is a gift to all and a responsibility we can hold and share tenderly and changes everything joyfully. A beautiful blog and sharing of the treasuring of our ageing and a real blessing to read.

     1. There is such beauty, Tricia, in how you have written, ‘Treasuring our wisdom and grace as we age and being fully present is a gift to all and a responsibility we can hold and share tenderly and changes everything joyfully.’ May we all realise and live this to the fullest!

515. Our society can be very dismissive, ‘writing us off,’ as women over a certain age. I love the feel of openness you describe Judy and Matilda, that there is no need to behave like we know everything, we all have so much to sort out whatever our age. And I can certainly vouch for feeling younger over the past 10 years, having let go of the youthful pressures of years ago.

     1. I love this and what a reverse of life, “And I can certainly vouch for feeling younger over the past 10 years, having let go of the youthful pressures of years ago”. We pay for all manner of ‘younger treatments’ as we age, like we are trying to hold onto something when in fact we need to be in reverse. We are interrupting all this the wrong way, to feel younger we are needing to let go and not return to looking youthful but returning to having a childs approach to life and not hold onto anything. The baggage we carry about knowing it all or doing this or being this all ages us, if we were only to take this articles lead and return to our youth in a true way but simply allowing and not fighting a nature process and not dismiss the very value we all have and in particular our ‘elders’.

     2. Yes it is so freeing when you let go of any type of pressure or expectation we put on ourselves. I feel that applies no matter what age or gender we are and, as you say, Gill, ‘there is no need to behave like we know everything, we all have so much to sort out whatever our age.’ That is so true!

516. This is a very inspiring blog Judy and Matilda, that makes me feel the endless beauty of ageing and the blessing of opening myself much more to elder people. There is so much we can learn and share when we relate with each other within and beyond the age we have.

     1. I too have found at each stage and age in my life as you say, ‘there is so much we can learn and share when we relate with each other within and beyond the age we have’, Amparo. There is also much joy in experiencing this.

517. Having recently turned 50 and feeling more amazing than I did at 40, I realised that one of the greatest myths is that “it’s all down hill”. Sure the body ages, but how we age is dependant on how we live our everyday. I have had the privilege of working with many elders within the community for a long period of time and I have always love it for challenging any preconceived ideas I may have had on being older and growing old. Some of it however is true. I had a lovely lady call me ‘young woman’ recently and after having a giggle to myself as I considered what she said, I felt how true it is. We don’t have to feel anything just because we are of an age. When we are connected to our inner most and live from this love we are ageless.

     1. Your words so beautifully illustrate that one of the greatest myths about ageing is that ‘it’s all down hill’, Jennifer. I too have found we certainly are ageless when we are connected to our innermost and choosing to live from the love every single person holds deep within.

518. Being in the autumn of my life asks me to truly accept and embrace what this stage in life offers. As long as I hold on to wanting to look young, don’t have lines in my face and in a way avoid the chance and responsibility to give back to others and share what I have learned in my life, others don’t get the quality of the energy to really feel what I am talking about.

     1. You have so eloquently described how we can choose to shirk our responsibility to give back to others as we enter the autumn of our lives, Monika. Gracefully accepting and embracing what happens to our bodies as they age is key to letting those around us feel the truth when we share what life has taught us.

519. I agree ladies. Our Autumn years dont have to be associated to a stepping back, drying up or withering away. Far from it. We do have so much to offer to our younger generations and also to inspire others of a similar age that we can still choose to embrace life in full, to share our wisdom and to embrace our beautiful bodies, knowing that they are continually talking to us and confirming that we will always be who we are, and will hold that innate inner beauty regardless of our age.

     1. What you have written, Sandra, is a beautiful reminder of how we have so much to offer our younger generations and that our bodies ‘are continually talking to us and confirming that we will always be who we are, and will hold that innate inner beauty regardless of our age.’ One couldn’t ask for anything more supportive than that on any level.

520. The more I build a relationship with myself, and by that I mean simply observing what and how I feel, how I respond or react to things.. basically getting to know myself inside and out, the more I appreciate getting older, because I know myself more deeply, and with that, there is greater settlement and ease of being me in life, and not being afraid to share that with others.

     1. There is so much wisdom in what you have expressed, Bryony. Love it!

521. What a profound, joyful and en-riching blog – shared with such a deep wisdom from a lived experience of a true re-connection with the body and innermost essence. Thank you Matilda and Judy.
     “There is an acceptance that introduces humility, a life-enriching quality that allows us to view the world and our place and purpose in it with a sense of the bigger picture and the joy of our equality”.

     1. ‘Deep wisdom from a lived experience of a true re-connection with the body and innermost essence.’ This beautifully expresses what I have and am experiencing on an ever-deepening level, Stephanie.

522. The truth is no one can be dismissed and sidelined by others if you do not dismiss and sideline first yourself.

     1. Oh that is so true, Eduardo, and a key lesson life teaches us along the way when we are ready to embrace this realisation, no matter what our age.

523. Embracing ourselves as we age and embracing our elders .. love this ✨ and also this ‘It is now our experience that our ageing bodies are beautiful, sexy, sweet, and endlessly precious, emanating qualities that behold, nurture and support others’ 💕 very cool

     1. It is very cool to smash the stereotype of what beauty, the concept of sexy and ageing bodies have been perceived as throughout the ages, Vicky, and live as examples of what they truly are – as infinitely sweet, precious beings emanating the nurturing and loving qualities all hold deep within.

524. What you have shared here ladies is very beautiful, and presents later life as something delicious to embrace wholeheartedly – thank you.

     1. Matilda and I so enjoyed writing about our experiences. It is lovely to know this now serves to present ‘later life as something delicious to embrace wholeheartedly’, Janet. It truly is this when one is open to all the possibilities life presents and keeps on presenting.

     2. To know that this is what we can look forward to puts a whole new spin on ageing and makes it something to celebrate!

525. Love this blog! What wealth, joy and richness are we all missing out on when we dismiss ourselves as we age or when we dismiss the elders in our community as being ‘past it’!

     1. I agree, Michelle. So much is lost when people choose to dismiss elders and see them as being ‘past it’.

        1. I remember what a wealth of experience and fun my Grandmother was. Given the personality she had I don’t think anyone considered her past it, but then again I don’t think she ever felt or believed she ‘was over the hill’ either. How much of this feeling comes from the individual first rather than from those who seem to judge others in this way?

        2. Your grandmother sounds like the grandmother everyone would love to have, Michelle. One key fact in what you’ve shared is that she didn’t feel or believe she was ‘over the hill’ so she just kept on being her delightful self.

526. Absolutely no need to shrink in the shadows. It is a blessing to all, the whole of society with no exceptions when an Elder claims this for themselves. What is reflected is beyond measure – the truth and beauty of who we are innately, in the holding and understanding that lets someone of a younger age surrender to the flow of life they are in. The hiding and shrinkage of our elders is tragic case in point for us all.

     1. Society has tended to push the majority of elders into the background with some exceptions. It’s now up to each and every one of us to reflect ‘ the truth and beauty of who we are innately, in the holding and understanding that lets someone of a younger age surrender to the flow of life they are in.’ That holds the potential to change the course of history.

527. Thank you Judy and Matilda and a resounding Yes to embracing ageing and the combination of wisdom and playfulness that we can offer those younger than us who may be struggling with having the confidence to trust themselves in finding their true path in life.

     1. Thanks for reminding me of the part ‘playfulness’ plays in life, Helen. I have found that as long as I keep an element of playfulness in my life, I’m not becoming ‘set in my ways’ – a major factor of what I feel cements people into old age and prevents them from serving as inspiration for younger people. No one wants to end up being like that, as we all know innately that is not a true and meaningful way for us to live life, no matter what age we are.

528. One thing I love with getting older and being older is the fact that there is so much freedom. Especially, when we let go of the pictures of how society sees the elderly and the expectations of how they should be and how they should act – all of that goes out of the window as you just do not feel old, you are just you and that’s enough.

     1. ‘When we let go of the pictures of how society sees the elderly and the expectations of how they should be and how they should act – all of that goes out of the window as you just do not feel old, you are just you and that’s enough.’ That is so what I have experienced, Julie.

529. What a beautiful invitation to embrace, celebrate and in turn value the quality of our years. Retirement has attained a sense of stepping back, when perhaps it could be an amazing opportunity to deepen our steps and as you say engage with life and people and offer the support of our lived wisdom & understanding.

     1. It’s time to give the word ‘retirement’ a new face – not the one of people who are starting to feel ‘has beens’ and undervalued by society and, as a result, eventually giving up on themselves and the possibilities life presents. What Matilda and I, along with many others, have been discovering and experiencing does not match this old picture of ageing. Retirement presents us with an amazing opportunity, as Lucinda has expressed, ‘to deepen our steps, engage with life and people and offer the support of our lived wisdom & understanding’ and the world is a lot richer for it.

530. I am 47 years old and becoming aware of the menopause being not too far away. At the moment there are mixed feelings about letting go and welcoming my next phase in life but there is always support and reading about these two women embracing their elder years inspiring and offering society another way to be is gorgeous reminding me that no matter what age or where I am in life I have so much to offer when I don’t hold back and take responsibility for my part in the bigger picture of life. Thank you Judy and Matilda for sharing.

     1. I love that what Matilda and I have shared is supporting you as you approach the next phase of your life, Caroline. It is so true as you say, ‘No matter what age or where I am in life I have so much to offer when I don’t hold back and take responsibility for my part in the bigger picture of life.’ That goes for everyone, no matter whether they are male or female and at every stage of life right up until the end, if that is the way we chose to live.

531. “If we reflect on this being the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises, it can be a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others” – love this, and love how you both describe the passage of life in elder years as “Autumn” – i have always adored this time of year since a young child and from your post today feel-know that when that period reaches i will equally adore all the wonders it offers.

     1. I too have always loved autumn and yes, being in the autumn of our lives and what this symbolises is very enriching to experience when you arrive there, Zofia.

     2. Yes indeed Autumn is such a colourful time here in the UK with the leaves turning so many gorgeous colours, the deep blue crispness of the sky, the white ground frosts and the rich browns of the earth being turned over ready for planting again for next years harvest. It is also the time we start having fires inside and also bonfires outside and are reminded of the fire burning within. There is much to appreciate about the Autumn of our lives and, indeed too, the Winter. When we live that appreciation it brings more life to everyone and sharing ourselves more rather than less we are seen and appreciated in turn.

        1. Yes, Elaine, appreciation is key – appreciation for ourselves and others as well as in all aspects of living.

532. As a grandmother I also appreciate the bond I have with the very young generation – who are more aligned to me than their parents. Reflecting love and consistency in this ever-changing world and meeting them for who they are – without any expectations – is a blessing i feel whether i am with them in person or not .

     1. I too have found being a grandparent wonderful to experience, Sue. It truly is a blessing to be ‘reflecting love and consistency in this ever-changing world and meeting them for who they are – without any expectations’ not only for them, but for all people; the ones in our family, as well as everyone else we meet up with as we go about our daily lives.

533. A gorgeous article. As an elder myself I so agree we have much to offer. “We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.”

534. Awesome sharing and Awesome Ladies… and so very inspiring. The truth is we all have so much to offer one another, no matter what our age may be – there is no limit to the wisdom we can all connect to at anytime.

     1. That is so true, Paula. It’s also that getting older presents us with so many more opportunities to discover and appreciate this for ourselves.

535. What if we get more gorgeous as we age, rediscovering the inherent qualities within and shining like the star we have always been for other, young and old, to be inspired by?

     1. Rediscovering the inherent qualities we each hold within is truly wonderful to experience, as is serving as a point of inspiration for both young and old to support them to see they too can embrace their innate potential and shine as well.

536. I Have made lots of irresponsible choices in my life and if by sharing these times when I was being extremely irresponsible so that others can see ahead the pitfalls of the choices I made, they then at least have a road map that I didn’t have because there was no one to give me guidance when I was growing up.

     1. I agree, Mary. Sharing what we have experienced can serve as inspiration, a warning or provide a road map for others to consider as they make their own way in life.

537. I love how you share that at each time in our life there are ideals and beliefs to let go of. So there is never an end to healing, letting go and learning, as it all an ongoing cycle. There for it is important we don’t see our life as less worth in the end than in the beginning as all is equal.

     1. There is such wisdom in your words, ‘it is important we don’t see our life as less worth in the end than in the beginning as all is equal.’ Lieke. Every moment counts, offering us endless opportunities to heal, to let go of all the ideals and beliefs we have taken on and to discover and embrace more deeply the loving and wise qualities we all hold individually and collectively, no matter what age we are.

538. There’s a beautiful freedom in reaching our elder years, appreciating where we are and yet open to so much more that life has to offer. and we have to offer life. There are no limits, only ones we place on ourselves.

     1. It is so true that there are no limits, Kehinde, only the one we place on ourselves. That is the number one lesson life teaches us no matter what age we are.

539. “a period of great inspiration as we take stock of what is truly important and offer this reflection to others.” As we embrace our elder years we have a deepening and gentle wisdom to share with others.

     1. ‘A deepening and gentle wisdom’ – what a loving and lovely way to describe what we enjoy as we embrace our elder years, Mary.

540. I am really enjoying getting older. The list of things we must do is replaced with exploring new things and sharing our experiences with those that are younger. Books can never replace the stories of a life lived in fullness.

     1. I so agree, Steve. ‘Books can never replace the stories of a life lived in fullness’ and I too have found lived experience is the best teacher in life.

     2. So true Steve and Judith, all we have to do is look at history Buddha, Jesus, and so many of the teachers of The Ageless Wisdom only shared by word of mouth so the word stayed alive as a lived expression.

541. An article that without a doubt needed to be written, I remember as a youngster dismissing people in my head because they were old, but when we do this we miss out on so much. Now that I am older I can feel when the advice I offer is being dismissed in the same way and for a start that doesn’t feel very nice and you know the youngster is not going to listen and will have to learn the hard way like I did because I didn’t listen.

     1. Dismissing anyone, no matter what age they are, never serves. It also goes the other way when adults dismiss what a younger person has to say. We are all the poorer when we don’t see and treat each other as equals, no matter what the age of the body we are in.
        There’s also that saying of ‘out of the mouth of babes’ which I see as a deep acknowledgement of the wisdom young children have to express and, from experience all I can say is, “Oh yes they certainly do this and many times over!’

542. Judy and Matilda, this is really gorgeous to read, your experience and view of life and ageing is so different from what the media portray and from what I hear generally, it makes complete sense that we are not ‘past it’; that as elders we have much lived experience and wisdom to offer, this completely changes the process of ageing for me and brings an acceptance and purpose to life as an ageing woman.

     1. Correct; we are never ‘past it’, Rebecca and it is lovely to hear how our sharing supports you in bringing an acceptance and purpose to life as well.

543. Beautifully written article. I like the simplicity of being able to share insights in my life with others and support where I am able. Just finished work and back from my local supermarket where had an awesome connection with a younger woman employee who was suggesting to try some chocolate coated coffee buds. I explained I didn’t do coffee and how it affected me. She replied she couldn’t do it either. We then spoke of sugar and shared that I am sensitive to it so have eliminated it and am very accepting of that. We then spoke of fish and how the fish in the deli doesn’t feel right for her or me. Was a lovely connection and no doubt will see her again filling shelves in the supermarket and catch up.

     1. I’ll readily admit to having the ‘have a chat’ gene, as my family calls it. I too have found shopping a super way of connecting with people and enjoy a few shared words and insights about life whenever the opportunity presents. There are so many possibilities of who you might meet in your travels no matter where you are venturing.

544. What is beautiful to feel in your words is that life never ends and that we are continually unfolding.

     1. The body ages, the being inside does not. It/we simply make steps back to the love that we are, or accumulate more karma (have to walk more steps next lap) when we do not.

        1. It is so true that the body ages while the being inside does not – so evidenced by people I know who are way older than me who live life with a joyous twinkle in their eyes. The secret to the fountain of youth is discovering the love that we are and living the qualities of that love to the best of our ability, without expecting perfection of ourselves, no matter what age we are.

        2. Judith, you are one of those people who are older than myself and live with a joyous twinkle in your eye no less than the magnitude of what a young child expresses before they (we) make the choice to hide such warmth and beauty from the world. Returning to this sparkle is not dependent on age, it is dependent on our level of surrender – our ability to let go of all we have put in place to mask our true self.

545. I have loved living with/staying with people who are older than me / elders. It is truly an amazing experience when there is a sense of equality.

     1. I agree, Harry, that there is an agelessness as well as a sense of equality that connect us when we are open to feeling and experiencing them, no matter what age we are.

546. I have found living and staying with people who are older than me, to be a very awesome experience. There is something about the diversity, yet agelessness connection that is there that is a benefit to both.

547. I may be nearly 60 and my body is showing signs of aging but on the inside I feel better then I felt in my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Why? because I have a settlement in my body that I did not have in those decades and I have a wealth of lived experience to support others with.

     1. I too have found the wealth of lived experience, along with the settlement I now enjoy in my body, most supportive in my relationships with others. I also have a deeper understanding of life – no matter what unfolds.

548. Brilliant blog Judy and Matilda. I was pondering on how common it is that many people resist the ageing process and I have been wondering why. Your question certainly sheds light onto this topic, ‘…is humanity as a whole avoiding the responsibility and balance of embracing growing old and the steadiness and deep understanding of life that these years hold?’ My feeling is, yes.

     1. I’m sure resisting the ageing process is what closes people down to all the possibilities that life holds for us as we enter our more mature years. I have also found taking responsibility for my choices and embracing the deep steadiness and understanding that living life wholeheartedly, as best I can, is a very supportive way of living at every age and stage of one’s life.

549. This week at my Son’s day care we went on an excursion (that is to say the nursery room of under 2-year olds) to the adjoining aged care facility. Working as a nurse myself I am not blind to seeing our community of elders living in such a way that can result in experiences of withdrawal from life but what I noticed on this particular visit was the vibrancy and ‘youth’ that was equal within the two and ninety-two year olds alike. The difference remained their physical bodies but the essence within them all was of equal value and of course importance to be met and honoured. When we embrace our society as being full of equal members who hold different experience and expressions this brings a totally new way to us all and ensures we don’t miss out on the opportunity that we all have to contribute our own core values and qualities to the greater mix.

     1. Your words, ‘When we embrace our society as being full of equal members who hold different experience and expressions this brings a totally new way to us all and ensures we don’t miss out on the opportunity that we all have to contribute our own core values and qualities to the greater mix,’ so present how rich and inclusive society could be if we saw and treated all people as equals; no matter what their age or any of the other ways of categorising people that are now legislated against to show any form of discrimination is unwanted and needs to be eliminated.

550. What a gorgeous blog – yes as we grow older it is possible to feel younger and we still have a great deal to offer humanity from our lived wisdom

     1. So true, Carmel, as I too have found that ‘it is possible to feel younger and we still have a great deal to offer humanity from our lived wisdom’ as I have joined the ranks of people who are growing older.

551. The list you share of the myths around getting old are like the elephant in the room… they are unspoken thoughts that actually speak louder than we realise through the way we interact. When we were a child, the generation or two ‘above us’, be it a parent, or grandparent also seemed old, but when we too get to that same position of adulthood, its interesting how we don’t see ourselves as ‘old’, rather, still feeling 21!… ‘young’ at heart… so it seems this quality or spark within us never ages, never gets ‘old’ – its only the body that cops the wears of ‘Time’… and that its our society attitude of idolising and embellishing the youthful appearance that imposes an impression of unspoken thoughts or attitudes in us, of elders.

     1. ‘Its our society attitude of idolising and embellishing the youthful appearance that imposes an impression of unspoken thoughts or attitudes in us, of elders.’ So true, Joanne, with the internet, magazines and chat shows playing their part to perpetuate and glamourise these myths around ageing.

552. There is a saying, ‘you are as old as you feel’ – as a society we seem to have accepted that we are less ‘valuable’ in society as we get past a certain age, that we don’t matter as much. Maybe this is because companies prefer to bring in new talent rather than having an ageing employee population – a mix of both seems a good option, we tend to have more medical issues as we age – our medical issues may have more to do with the way we choose to live rather than our age, young people don’t value what we have to say – maybe because we haven’t valued the wisdom they have been trying to share with us over the years. It’s up to us how old we choose to feel.

     1. One important point you have shared, Alison, is that many don’t want to face up to and accept the responsibility for the fact that ‘our medical issues may have more to do with the way we choose to live rather than our age.’ How we have chosen to live previously is what ultimately decides how our body feels at any stage of life.

     2. I agree with you Alison, but I would like to add that as we age, we have to also value what we have to say as elders. Could the younger generation be reflecting to the elderly that they do not see the purpose of them being here? Mainly because the elderly have lost their sense of purpose.

        1. Great question, Julie. Anyone who has little or no sense of purpose is not going to inspire anyone – no matter what age they are.

553. ‘No need to shrink into the shadows. We can simply embrace growing older, appreciating the passage of time, the learning on offer and the blessing of the responsibility we have to share and reflect.’ – these inspiring words are music to my ears and heart. I know I am getting older in years, yet as each year passes I feel I am becoming younger at heart through the way I am choosing to live.

     1. Life has supported me to come to the realisation we are all the same age at heart. This is so obvious when you come across a very elderly person who is still living life to the full. The physical body changes with life, however the youthfulness of the person still shines out their eyes.

554. Do we truly embrace and say yes to life? If we are living in fear of a certain part what kind of commitment is this? Embracing every day we are alive is great medicine for every age, for we stop seeing life as a race to the top and more as an opportunity to live with grace. Thank you Mathilda and Judy for this beautiful joint effort.

     1. ‘Embracing every day we are alive, seeing life as an opportunity to live with grace.’ Beautiful!

555. As a world community we have under valued our elders. Yet in my experience there have been moments in my life where a few wise unimposing words from an elder have been pivotal to my own life choices. Never hold back what is there for another.

     1. Great words “Never hold back what is there for another.”

556. Today I feel a huge tension in my body and am wondering just how much this tension can affect us to hold back ourselves. Just so we can in some way try to dull the reality of it. Yet on being very still and allowing of the tension, the depth of support from my essence to be lived even more fully is unmistakable. In allowing myself to be still with this, the tension, whilst still present is not fueled by the underlying anxiety that is there with it when the stillness is not chosen. Elder or not, any of us can bring the wisdom from with in if we choose it so.

     1. What you have described, Leigh, is certainly is not dependant on age. How we live is all a matter of choice and, when we truly stop and tune into our bodies, we can really feel the numerous effects that this ‘holding back’ of ourselves has on our physical, psychological and emotional well-being.

557. A beautiful article on the grace of fully accepting ones self and the responsibility we all hold to live from the beauty of who we are.

558. Beautiful blog Matilda and Judy . . . and much needed. You have highlighted the usual view of what being ‘elderly’ means, and how this does encourage us to contract into the shadows, and shrink into the background – and of course this is how certain forces in the world deliberately want us to go – instead of expanding, expanding, stepping up, stepping out so that we leave this life in joy and in true preparation for the next life. What a piteous, pathetic picture is that conventional view of age and ageing. I have found that life is getting more and more amazing every day and I am now well into what is generally called elderly-ness. I even called my chapter in Anne McRitchie and Rowena Parks’ book the Joy of Ageing’, ‘Glorious Autumn’!

     1. Autumn is so gloriously colourful in some countries and inspiringly refreshing after the heat of summer in others. Perfect that you chose ‘Glorious Autumn’ for the title of your chapter in the Joy of Ageing, Lyndy, to describe this phase of life and what it offers us all.

559. I find the word retirement a funny one as it sounds like you are an old racehorse being put out to pasture. As we move through our elder years I find it truly inspirational to be able to not only share your wisdom, experience and care for others but also move in a way that lovingly supports your body as life changes too. I look forward to my elder years and sharing all of me and then some with the world.

     1. Traditionally the aspect you raise of putting an old racehorse ‘out to pasture’ has been how retirement was perceived by the general populace. You’ve had your run and it’s all over when it come to usefulness. What a waste of resources and lived experience that approach has proven to be. It’s awesome to be living in times where we are realising how untrue this way of looking at ageing is and have the opportunity to change our approach to life so we appreciate we still have lots to offer and keep on living life to the full.

        1. So much to offer indeed Judith and the grace and inspiration in which elders can bring to the world, simply by sharing their experiences is so very cool. Thank you.

560. I was just thinking about this today. I felt a freedom in growing older, that I can actually allow myself to be myself without all the conforming I have done in the past to fit in or be liked or look the part etc etc. I can be me, and I can share me with the world. ‘No need to shrink into the shadows’.

     1. I so agree, Rebecca. There is a real joy in living so I can, in your words, ‘allow myself to be myself without all the conforming I have done in the past to fit in or be liked or look the part etc etc. I can be me, and I can share me with the world.’ Best of all this is available to everyone, no matter what their age or life experiences.

     2. I agree Rebecca there is a real joy of growing older, knowing we are connecting to a deeper wisdom within ourselves.

561. Interestingly enough, in the German language the expression ‘over the hill’ means that things are getting easier because the arduous climb is left behind – the perfect simile for what you describe as the elder years and the freedom it can bring if we but embrace it.

     1. Love it Gabriele, so as we grace-fully end our cycle of life we can simply let gravity take over so we gather no moss and roll on home to re-start life with the same momentum!

     2. I love that Gabriele! Always fascinating to see how each culture/country interprets the same or similar phrases. The meanings can so often be polar opposites. This meaning of over the hill feels more pertinent.

     3. That is gorgeous Gabriele. Our equivalent expression with that meaning in English is ‘over the hump’.

     4. I love hearing what words mean in a different language with the fresh slant and extra dimension they add to what has been expressed, Gabriele. Life has taught me so many lessons along the way and I find embracing my elder years and who I am to be very freeing, as I enjoy connecting to an inner wisdom that was there all along waiting for me to ‘wise up to myself’ – another phrase we use that holds so much depth to its meaning.

     5. This makes perfect sense Gabriele! It is actually an advantage and not an insult at all.

     6. Beautiful Gabriele, embrace the elder years and what it brings.

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