I thought I’d say hello and send wishes for a lovely summer. Just a reminder, we won’t be meeting this July or August but I wanted to share a piece from Martin's The Sage's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for the Second Half of Life  “The Truth of Getting Older”.

THE TRUTH OF GROWING OLDER

Life is always too short.

We will never be able to see everything we wanted to see, do all the things we wanted to do, or achieve all the successes we thought so important.

But to arrive at a quiet mind, and a serene spirit, is the supreme accomplishment.

If we do this, we have done all.

The truth of growing older cannot be described, only experienced.

We are unaware of becoming sages, we just know that we are at peace.

We are unaware of being wise, we just know that we are content.

We are unaware of being generous, we just enjoy giving ourselves away.

Do what you can each day.

Enjoy your goals and plans.

But the cultivation of your spirit is your greatest task.

What other reason could there be for the life you have been given?

I like the idea of cultivating a serene spirit and a quiet mind. Let’s be good to each other and do what we can to be generous and loving.  I can’t always be content but I can remember how important it is to stay awake to ALL of life and how fortunate I am to have goals and plans. I attended the retreat with Jon Kabat-Zinn and other mindfulness teachers last month and found it inspiring.  It was lovely to reunite with old friends and make new ones, all committed to bringing mindfulness into the world and doing what is possible to reduce suffering.  I left with a deep appreciation of the power of community and the importance of falling awake (opening with awareness) to what is. May you cultivate your spirit with compassion and generosity and discover wisdom and peace. 

I hope to see you at the Aging with Wisdom group (via Zoom) in September on the 5th.

Warmly, Elana