My Wiser Self Says

“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been.” -David Bowie

It has been said that “youth is wasted on the young,” which leads me to wonder…

What would your wiser Self tell your younger Innocent one?

Mine would say:

If we only held when we are younger the wisdom we have when we are in mid-life, we wouldn’t worry so much about “what we are going be when we grow up.”

We’d know then what we know now: It’s a journey evolving out of many twists and turns with bumps and plenty of uphill climbs, a roller coaster that has screams of terror and equal cries of joy.

It’s a journey that starts someplace and doesn’t really have an ending. There are only more beginnings.

In fact, it’s not where you start at all that matters most; it’s the risks you’re willing to take in discovering who you really are along the way.

That’s the real meaning and inquiry: Who are we and why are we here?

It’s the questions that we ask that lead us along the way to answer what matters most, and this is the recovery of our highest and truest nature.

The quest is for a deeper understanding.

The essence that is you and only you can fill that role–can take that quest–in this human landscape at this time. That’s why you need to find your gifts and share them with unabashed honesty and passion.

You must remember why you came to the earth and know that your deepest desire is to serve and love your family, friends, pets, plants, and community.

Your epic contribution will be to feel fully expressed by being yourself—not by thinking someone else is better.

Picturing myself as I am now, walking alongside a younger me–about the age of my daughters now in their twenties–arm in arm, I draw her closer…

We spend most of our youth chasing the dreams of collecting achievements.

Then, life happens according to its own design and it all falls apart so that we can awaken to deeper meaning and a richer life.

But the journey is steep. If you hear the call that inevitably comes through suffering, your eyes are blinded with tears for a time and then blinded from the glorious sunshine that comes. In this, you receive clear instructions.

Your world will be rocked and you will be tipsy-turvy for a time, but it’s all going to be alright even though you will feel the fear that comes with sudden change when the rug is pulled out from under your feet.

Sit in the stillness as long as you can and absorb that clear-minded thinking. Listen to that voice that can only come with being present.

Practice being present, breathing deeply connected to your body. This is the place you will feel most held in grace and love. This is where you’ll call home.

In this moment with faith, you can survive and with more and more practice you will begin to thrive.

You will open to spirit and the vast creativity that becomes your inspiration.

As you surrender and trust, you will be divinely led, so there’s no need to sweat the small stuff or the big stuff.

Only to surrender your ego.

The truth is, young and innocent one, that after the darkest storm, dawn will break, and you will awaken to your most vibrant life.