{"id":6554,"date":"2021-05-22T06:52:59","date_gmt":"2021-05-22T10:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=6554"},"modified":"2021-05-24T19:23:11","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T23:23:11","slug":"aging-from-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2021\/05\/aging-from-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Aging from the Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marc Blesoff was a criminal defense attorney for 35 years. Six years ago, he began facilitating Conscious Aging workshops. He says that helped him melt the armor he\u2019d built up as a defense lawyer. He\u2019s a founding member of A Tribe Called Aging, which defines itself as a group of \u201cactivists and thinkers trying to understand and change our culture\u2019s outlook, policies and fears about aging and dying.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Aging from the heart doesn\u2019t happen to everyone, but it can. I think it\u2019s happening to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have any negative reaction after I got my first COVID-19 vaccination. I kept hearing rumblings about possible intense side effects after the second shot, especially if the first went smoothly. Being aware helped with my preparation. I hydrated well, got my second shot and kept my eyes and ears open for even the slightest sign of any reaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was actually trying to listen carefully to my body, not something I\u2019ve had very much experience with throughout most of my life. I slowed down, stayed still, paid attention to small things and focused on what was happening in that moment. It was like letting my body be my friend. This awareness is what aging from the heart offers me.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the past year, to one degree or another, we\u2019ve all been faced with the tremendous uncertainties of immune systems, lockdowns, social isolation, physical distancing, economic instability and\/or dying alone. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, I\u2019ve been, and continue to be, educated about long-standing systemic prejudice and inequity. Some of my lifelong assumptions and habits are being sorely challenged, and I\u2019m making friends with some of that discomfort. <\/span><\/p>\n

These uncertainties and discomforts have shaken much of my world and have provided me with an opportunity to accept and work for change. Similarly, my body will change and I will die, but I don\u2019t really know how or when. Aging from the heart offers me an opportunity to trust not-knowing those details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trust in not-knowing can help me throw open the curtains of life and let in more light.<\/span><\/p>\n

Science tells us there is much more to our existence than just the physical light we can see.<\/span><\/p>\n

And as I see more of the glorious, physical light, I might also get to know some invisible infrared or ultraviolet or perhaps get a sense of unseeable dark matter. I might even be able to remember my dreams or to hear the whispers of my own intuition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carl Jung said that \u201cSynchronicity is an ever-present reality for those who have eyes to see.\u201d Aging from the heart makes that ever-present reality more visible to me. When I am lost in my head, I may not see the synchronicities and noncerebral information of my environment. <\/span><\/p>\n

The same applies to my relationship with myself. By allowing me to see more of who I am and what I am \u201cseeing,\u201d aging from the heart can help me become my own best friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s as exciting as watching paint dry!\u201d I remember using that sarcastic expression a lot throughout my life. Now that I\u2019m older, it\u2019s not so sarcastic. It means I\u2019m being more aware of what\u2019s going on around me. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, as I get older, I\u2019ve been spending time appreciating the different speeds at which trees move, from wind in the branches to motions underneath the bark to just watching them grow. I\u2019ve been watching trees grow \u2014that\u2019s kind of like watching paint dry! The noetic character of aging leads me to know that a forest is actually one connected, living organism. Noticing and appreciating what I\u2019ve previously taken for granted is part and parcel of my getting older. I want to explore more of the possibilities  offered as I age from the heart.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aging from the heart doesn\u2019t happen to everyone, but it can. I think it\u2019s happening to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Aging from the Heart<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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