So, yeah, this is me this year - 53 years’ old.
The society usually keeps telling us that as a female over fifty our body and mind have to be slowing down and that we’re entering ‘decline’, that we’re losing strength. And yeah, I know guys get that ‘sucker punch’ too.
The subconscious mind is bombarded with so many messages about how this is it and you should give in a settle for something less, for ‘quieter and easier’ more comfortable life, that your bodymind is less capable, more fragile, as if aging is some kind of disease.
Well my friends, it’s real bollocks!
Yes, there are physiological and hormonal changes, the recovery is somewhat slower, the explosive power of the youth is not there as such but what you have is experience, wisdom and more endurance, resiliency and clarity. You understand that in every cycle of life, in every phase of your personal evolution comes a point that teaches you the next step, further wisdom - how to integrate the previous stage, how to pivot, how to use your strength, power and learning in different way, new way.
This is why I keep on with martial arts, new things, travel, with cultivation, the Dao path, because it keeps the flow of life clear, firm, strong, powerful and recalibrating to the right resonance. Don’t get me wrong, there are good days and there are also ‘not so good’ days. Yet such is the rhythm of life, but the central current is good. It’s better than good. Evolving, everchanging - the currents of Dao, the flow in Dao.
So, the truth is that you can not only stay strong and fit whatever the age and not kill yourself and burn out, you can even keep resetting your system and get stronger and fitter, go deeper, wider.
Keep the wonder and curiosity alive. Keep cultivating, keep exploring, keep playing and having fun, keep moving! Don’t let anything stop you.
The commitment to practice is a serious one, but it’s balanced out by the nourishment of joy, playfulness and wonder. It’s worth the effort.
KEEP GOING! JIAYOU! GAMBATTE!